Home range extension and overlap of the Ornate Tinamou (Nothoprocta ornata) in an Andean agro-ecosystem

Abstract

Very little is known about the home range and movement patterns of tinamous. The Ornate Tinamou (Nothoprocta ornata), a species of the central Andes that is important for cynegetic and biomonitoring purposes, was previously reported to have a very small territory (2.43 ha). This was based solely on field observations. In order to gain a better understanding of the movement patterns, home range size, and home range overlap of this species, we radio tracked 12 adult individuals in an Andean agro-ecosystem for a full year. The birds remained within their home ranges all year; 100% MCP (minimum convex polygon) home ranges were 43.8 ± 21.6 ha (22–85 ha), 95% kernel home ranges were 58.8 ± 31.9 ha (25–118 ha) and 50% kernel core areas were 15.3 ± 8.9 ha (6–33 ha). Only two birds, probably sub-adults, showed extensive movement patterns before their death. Individuals overlapped their home ranges extensively (from 30–98% with 2–3 tagged individuals), but these values were probably higher because a small proportion of the population was tagged. No sexual differences were detected in home range size or overlap. Our results support the usefulness of Ornate Tinamou as a sentinel species in biomonitoring studies and highlight the need for further research into the philopatric and dispersion behavior of juveniles before planning cynegetic strategies.