Recurrent seasonal occurrence of the Lineated Woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus) in a riparian fragment of the Atlantic Forest, northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Riparian forests play important roles as ecological corridors and refuge habitat for many bird populations in fragmented landscapes. This report describes the seasonal occurrence of the Lineated Woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus) in a small riparian fragment of Atlantic Forest, northeastern Brazil. A female was recorded by its visual and acoustical signals from September to October 2014. Similar occurrences were observed in the same months over three consecutive years. Two major hypotheses regarding the woodpecker seasonal occurrence are discussed here: i) the use of the riparian fragment for breeding, evidenced by tree-cavity nests; and ii) fleeing of the bird from its natal habitat due to fire in adjacent sugarcane fields, which commonly are burned in these two months. Such recurrent events suggest that D. lineatus uses the riparian fragment as refuge habitat, highlighting the importance of these environments for bird populations that inhabit fragmented landscapes of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.