Breeding biology of Tyrannus melancholicus (Aves: Tyrannidae) in a restinga reserve of southeastern Brazil

Hermes Daros,William Barbosa Dutra,Charles Duca

doi:10.3897/zoologia.35.e24569

Abstract

Existing knowledge of the breeding success and life history characteristics of most Neotropical bird species is scarce. Here, we help fill this gap by analyzing aspects of the breeding biology of the Tropical KingbirdTyrannusmelancholicus(Vieillot, 1819), which is a good model for this kind of study as it is a common species occurring in various environments, including urban areas, but little is known about its life history. We provide results concerning the breeding period, clutch size, incubation and nestling periods, description of nests, eggs and nestlings, and the plants used for nest sites by this species. Fifty-four nests were monitored over two seasons (2012–2014) in a protected area in southeastern Brazil. Nesting began at the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season. The frequency of active nests varied according to variations in rainfall for each breeding season analyzed. The means and standard deviations of the incubation period (14.2 ± 1.9 days), nestling period (15.1 ± 0.8 days) and clutch size (2.5 ± 0.7 eggs) were similar to values reported for other Neotropical passerines. Twenty-one plant species used as nest trees and for the construction of the nests were identified. The results show thatT.melancholicusis not highly selective when choosing plant species used for nest construction.

Highlights

The breeding biology and life history characteristics of most Neotropical bird species are poorly known (Martin 1996, Stutchbury and Morton 2008), when it comes to endemic species (Mason 1985, Robinson et al 2000)
Tyrannus Lacepede, 1799 includes migratory birds that live in semi-open areas bordering dense vegetation, frequently in cities and often near freshwater bodies (Sigrist 2014). This genus is composed of 13 species, six of which are found in South America (Clements 2007), including the Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus (Vieillot, 1819), which feeds on fruits and insects (Sick 1997, Höfling and Camargo 2002)
Numerous studies have been conducted on the breeding biology of some of its congeners, such as the Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana (Vieillot, 1808) (Teul et al 2007, Marini et al 2009a), Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis (Say, 1823) (Murphy 1988, Bergin 1997) and Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus (Linnaeus, 1766) (Murphy 2007, Cooper et al 2009)

Summary

Introduction

The breeding biology and life history characteristics of most Neotropical bird species are poorly known (Martin 1996, Stutchbury and Morton 2008), when it comes to endemic species (Mason 1985, Robinson et al 2000). Tyrannus Lacepede, 1799 includes migratory birds that live in semi-open areas bordering dense vegetation, frequently in cities and often near freshwater bodies (Sigrist 2014) This genus is composed of 13 species, six of which are found in South America (Clements 2007), including the Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus (Vieillot, 1819), which feeds on fruits and insects (Sick 1997, Höfling and Camargo 2002). It is widely distributed in diverse environments, little is known about this species, including its reproductive biology (Legal 2007). Numerous studies have been conducted on the breeding biology of some of its congeners, such as the Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana (Vieillot, 1808) (Teul et al 2007, Marini et al 2009a), Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis (Say, 1823) (Murphy 1988, Bergin 1997) and Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus (Linnaeus, 1766) (Murphy 2007, Cooper et al 2009)

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