Biologia reprodutiva e uso de habitat por Cantorchilus Leucotis (Lafresnaye, 1845) (aves, Troglodytidae) no Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brasil

Abstract

The existing knowledge on the reproductive success and characteristics of the life history of most species of Neotropical birds is scarce. The quality of the habitat where the nest is built is one of the factors that may or may not favor the reproductive success of birds. This study aimed to determine life history attributes and habitat use patterns in order to understand the reproductive dynamics of the Cantorchilus leucotis. It occurred in the Brazilian wetlands located between the Bento Gomes and Cuiabá River, that is subjected to flooding from january to april. Cantorchilus leucotis was recorded by the methods: capture with mist nets (1,560 hours), observation by census (5,600 hours) and search for nests (234 hours) during the years 2001, 2002 and 2006. We found 87 nests of C. leucotis during their breeding seasons, of which 58 were abandoned during the construction phase, four were destroyed by bad weather, and only 25 nests became active. The simple percentage of reproductive success was 12% (n = 25). Predation was the major cause of loss in active nests (76%). Of these nests, 94.7% were in the egg stage and 5.2% were in the young stage. Of the 87 nests found, 52 (59.8%) were found in the cambarazal, 26 nests (29.8%) in the brejo and nine nests (10.4%) in the landi. Nests parasitism was not observed. C. leucotis received resident status because it was recorded across all researched years. Cambarazal is a kind of rainforest, so it presents the ideal location for nesting and foraging.