Cavity Nesting by Great Kiskadees (Pitangus sulphuratus): Adaptation or Expression of Ancestral Behavior?

Abstract

Beginning with the work of von Ihering (1904), the nature of the nest has been used for formulating systematic hypotheses within the family Tyrannidae. Here, I provide several records of cavity nesting by Great Kiskadees (Pitangus sulphuratus). I then discuss nest location (exposed vs. concealed) and nest structure (cup-shaped vs. domed) of Tyrannus relatives (12 genera and ca. 33 species) as they relate to the systematics of the group, and suggest that cavity nesting is a primitive trait in certain branches of the Tyrannidae. Great Kiskadees usually build large globular or domed nests on high, exposed sites atop isolated trees (von Ihering 1904; Haverschmidt 1968, 1974; pers. obs.). The nests contain a lateral entrance and are firmly attached to the forks of branches (Euler 1900, Sick 1985). On 18 September 1989, I located a Great Kiskadee nest in a cavity (hereafter niche) 7.84 m above the ground in the front wall of the Imaculada Conceiq5o Church in Piracicaba, southeastern Brazil. The nest faced a public square that contained many trees. It was in a corner of the building and partly protected by a large vertical column. Internal dimensions of the niche were: width, 13 cm; height, 47 cm; and horizontal depth, 25 cm. The globular nest occupied the entire width of the niche, although a small space occurred above the nest. The entrance hole was at the front of the nest. I observed two adults feeding at least two nestlings at the nest entrance, and the ground below the nest was littered with insect fragments and pellets. The nest was inactive on 25 September, but by 8 October a pair of House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) occupied the nest and subsequently nested successfully. The remains of the kiskadee nest were visible on the church wall five years after I discovered the nest. On 7 December 1993, I found another nest, nearly identical to the nest described above, in a niche 10.54 m above the ground in a side wall of the same church. This nest also was partly protected by a vertical column. Old pellets typical of those produced by Great Kiskadees were on the ground beneath the nest. Judging by the appearance of the nest and pellets, I am confident that the nest was constructed by Great Kiskadees. On 27 November 1995, I found a third kiskadee nest in this same niche, but saw no kiskadees