Date: May 4, 2016
Source: Pensoft Publishers
Two juveniles of Shiny Cowbird, a
parasitic bird that lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, were spotted in
the Andean city of Quito, Ecuador, for the first time. This finding represents
an altitudinal expansion of approximately 500 m.
Breeding populations might have
been prompted by forest fragmentation and/or climate change, suggest the
research team, led by Dr Verónica Crespo-Pérez, professor at Pontificia
Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE). Resultingly, the 'immigrants' could be
threatening native birds. The study is published in the open
access Biodiversity Data Journal.
"The Shiny Cowbird is native
to the lowlands of South America but within the last 100 years, it has been
expanding its distribution to higher altitudes and latitudes" says the
lead author.
The bird had already been noted
from high altitudes in Bolivia and Perú, and in some localities in the
Ecuadorian Andes. Since 2000, Juan Manuel Carrión, co-author and director of
the Zoo in Quito, recalls observing Shiny cowbirds near his home in a valley
near Quito at 2,300 m above sea level (asl). However, one has never before been
reported from an altitude as high as 2,800 m asl.
Moreover, the fact that the
observed individuals were juveniles means that the species is already breeding
in the city.
"Such a significant
expansion of reproductive birds, of approximately 500 m, could be related to
human disturbances, like forest fragmentation or climate change," adds
Crespo-Pérez.
