Abundancia estacional, fenología reproductiva y uso de hábitat por parte del Mulato (Melanotis caerulescens) en ambientes ribereños del suroeste de Jalisco.

Abstract

This study describes the seasonal abundance, reproductive phenology and habitat use of the Blue Mockingbird ( Melanotis caerulescens ), an endemic species of Mexico and valued by its singing. The species was sampled using mist-nets during 2 consecutive years in 3 sites of riparian vegetation in the Ayuquila River, Jalisco. The habitat characterization was carried out through sampling strata of trees, shrub, and herbaceous. We used Generalized Linear Models to analyze the differences in coverage strata between the sites, and to identify the effect of site and month on the abundance of the species. The presence of brood patch and cloaca protuberance describes the breeding season between April and August. Blue Mockingbird’s abundance was positively related to sites with greater shrub cover and the site fidelity analysis (individuals’ presence or absence) showed that at least 3 pairs maintained their territories in the study site. These results suggest that maintaining an adequate density of understory shrub in riparian areas is important to provide food and nesting areas. This study is relevant because is the first data published on this issue for this endemic species.