Associations Between Golden-Headed Lion Tamarins and the Bird Community in the Atlantic Forest of Southern Bahia

Abstract

We examined the presence of birds accompanying and foraging in proximity to golden-headed lion tamarins at Una Biological Reserve, Bahia, Brazil. We followed 3 groups of golden-headed lion tamarins over 3 yr. We noted all birds ≤5 m of a lion tamarin during 20-min observation periods. We found 11 different bird species in the presence of the lion tamarins. We most often found insectivores, such as woodcreepers and nunbirds, in association with them, eating prey the tamarins flushed. Associations were most frequent in mature and shade-cocoa forests. The group that spent most of its time in mature and shade-cocoa forest was also the group that foraging birds followed most frequently. Differences in resource availability among forest types, such as the abundance of microforaging environments, may affect the frequency and diversity of birds seen in association with golden-headed lion tamarins.