Abstract
Background Steatornis caripensis (the oilbird) is a very unusual bird. It supposedly never sees daylight, roosting in huge aggregations in caves during the day and bringing back fruit to the cave at night. As a consequence a large number of the seeds from the fruit they feed upon germinate in the cave and spoil.Methodology/Principal FindingsHere we use newly developed GPS/acceleration loggers with remote UHF readout to show that several assumptions about the behaviour of Steatornis caripensis need to be revised. On average, they spend only every 3rd day in a cave, individuals spent most days sitting quietly in trees in the rainforest where they regurgitate seeds.Conclusions/SignificanceThis provides new data on the extent of seed dispersal and the movement ecology of Steatornis caripensis. It suggests that Steatornis caripensis is perhaps the most important long-distance seed disperser in Neotropical forests. We also show that colony-living comes with high activity costs to individuals.
Highlights
One of the most crucial challenges for biologists in the decade is the understanding of the ecological and evolutionary processes involved in the movement of organisms [1]
Previous evidence suggested that Steatornis caripensis make foraging trips for fruit on a nightly basis, returning to the cave at the end of each night [17,23]
Observations of high activity at foraging stands suggested that Steatornis caripensis would forage for fruit constantly throughout the night, breaking only to return to the cave [23]
Summary
One of the most crucial challenges for biologists in the decade is the understanding of the ecological and evolutionary processes involved in the movement of organisms [1]. This assumes particular significance given the emergence of problems with habitat fragmentation and climate change. Understanding movement ecology assumes particular significance in plants, whose seeds are dispersed by animals in fragmented habitats where avian seed dispersers play a crucial role in the ecosystem [3,4,5]. As a consequence a large number of the seeds from the fruit they feed upon germinate in the cave and spoil
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