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The birds of the Santa Elena Peninsula, S.W. Ecuador
Abstract
SummaryA systematic account is given of the birds of the Santa Elena peninsula in S.W. Ecuador, based on three years observations (1954-7) and a collection of 425 skins. The status of individual species is decribed and the different elements of the avifauna discussed, viz. the Equatorial arid fauna, Nearctic migrants, sea-birds, and other wide-ranging forms and waterfowl. Seasonal movements of species of the Equatorial arid fauna are indicated in greater detail than has been previously known. The effect of a recently constructed reservoir on the bird life is mentioned. More detailed knowledge of the occurrence of species from the cold Humboldt current is provided. Several additions to the Ecuadorian list are given, and some birds recorded which were hitherto unknown or very rarely recorded from the west coast of S. America. Various matters of taxonomy affecting races of birds along the whole west coast of S. America are discussed.
... El valor de AUC del modelo fue 0,904, lo que indica un buen ajuste de los datos. El mapa de distribución potencial actual (Fig. 3a) muestra que la zona con mayor idoneidad de hábitat para M. bonariensis se localiza en la región Es necesario aclarar que en la Tabla 1 no consideramos la referencia de Marchant (1958), pues solo menciona probables especies parasitadas por M. bonariensis; tampoco consideramos las referencias de Friedmann (1963) y Friedmann et al. (1977, porque la primera hace alusión a Marchant (1958Marchant ( y 1960 citando como hospedero de M. bonariensis a Vireo flavoviridis (Cassin, 1851), mientras que en Friedmann et al. (1977) cita como Vireo olivaceus; pero estas referencias citan a Marchant (1958Marchant ( , 1960, quién hace alusión como hospedero de M. bonariensis a Vireo virescens, lo que se conoce actualmente como Vireo olivaceus. ...
... El valor de AUC del modelo fue 0,904, lo que indica un buen ajuste de los datos. El mapa de distribución potencial actual (Fig. 3a) muestra que la zona con mayor idoneidad de hábitat para M. bonariensis se localiza en la región Es necesario aclarar que en la Tabla 1 no consideramos la referencia de Marchant (1958), pues solo menciona probables especies parasitadas por M. bonariensis; tampoco consideramos las referencias de Friedmann (1963) y Friedmann et al. (1977, porque la primera hace alusión a Marchant (1958Marchant ( y 1960 citando como hospedero de M. bonariensis a Vireo flavoviridis (Cassin, 1851), mientras que en Friedmann et al. (1977) cita como Vireo olivaceus; pero estas referencias citan a Marchant (1958Marchant ( , 1960, quién hace alusión como hospedero de M. bonariensis a Vireo virescens, lo que se conoce actualmente como Vireo olivaceus. ...
... El valor de AUC del modelo fue 0,904, lo que indica un buen ajuste de los datos. El mapa de distribución potencial actual (Fig. 3a) muestra que la zona con mayor idoneidad de hábitat para M. bonariensis se localiza en la región Es necesario aclarar que en la Tabla 1 no consideramos la referencia de Marchant (1958), pues solo menciona probables especies parasitadas por M. bonariensis; tampoco consideramos las referencias de Friedmann (1963) y Friedmann et al. (1977, porque la primera hace alusión a Marchant (1958Marchant ( y 1960 citando como hospedero de M. bonariensis a Vireo flavoviridis (Cassin, 1851), mientras que en Friedmann et al. (1977) cita como Vireo olivaceus; pero estas referencias citan a Marchant (1958Marchant ( , 1960, quién hace alusión como hospedero de M. bonariensis a Vireo virescens, lo que se conoce actualmente como Vireo olivaceus. ...
Varias especies alrededor del mundo están ampliando su distribución principalmente por la perturbación antropogénica. En Ecuador, el Vaquero Brilloso, Molothrus bonariensis, se registra cada vez con más frecuencia fuera de su ámbito conocido, por ello, analizamos cronológicamente sus registros evidenciando una expansión altitudinal de 580 m en los últimos 44 años. También ejecutamos modelamientos de máxima entropía que mostraron que las áreas de idoneidad de hábitat para M. bonariensis se incrementarían bajo condiciones de cambio climático. Finalmente, como M. bonariensis es un parásito obligado y generalista de nidos, presentamos información inédita sumando con lo ya publicado 21especies parasitadas en Ecuador. Por las implicaciones en la conservación de especies vulnerables, es importante continuar documentando la ampliación de ámbito de M. bonariensis y sus especies parasitadas.
... discors -OGSE-80 (2), Real Alto (1): By size the proximal ends of coracoids could be assigned to either to A. discors or A. cyanoptera. Given mid-twentieth century reports of breeding A. discors on the Santa Elena Peninsula (Marchant 1958), I consider this species perhaps to be more likely, although A. cyanoptera has a breeding population in northwestern Peru. ...
... Most often this species is seen in isolated trees or open vegetation where it is more easily detected. Typically inhabiting humid rather than in dry forest (Brown and Amadon 1968), the Laughing Falcon still occurs on Santa Elena Peninsula (Marchant 1958 (Figures 3-1, 3-2 Remarks.-Common in agricultural areas and urban settlements, especially in the Andes, Zenaida auriculata also is common on the Santa Elena Peninsula, where its numbers fluctuate widely within and across years (Marchant 1958). ...
... Most often this species is seen in isolated trees or open vegetation where it is more easily detected. Typically inhabiting humid rather than in dry forest (Brown and Amadon 1968), the Laughing Falcon still occurs on Santa Elena Peninsula (Marchant 1958 (Figures 3-1, 3-2 Remarks.-Common in agricultural areas and urban settlements, especially in the Andes, Zenaida auriculata also is common on the Santa Elena Peninsula, where its numbers fluctuate widely within and across years (Marchant 1958). ...
... Previo a los estudios de Marchant, las colecciones de aves fueron muy escasas. Los registros bibliográficos hablan sobre la visita del Dr. Enrico Festa, zoólogo y taxidermista italiano que trabajó para el Museo Zoológico de Turín, quien arribó a la península en enero de 1898 y visitó las zonas de Muey, Salinas y Santa Elena para colectar especímenes y realizar observaciones (Marchant 1958, Pérez 2001. Otras referencias señalan colecciones de aves realizadas en 1921 y 1925 por el Museo de Historia Natural Americano (Chapman 1926). ...
... Otras referencias señalan colecciones de aves realizadas en 1921 y 1925 por el Museo de Historia Natural Americano (Chapman 1926). Sin embargo, el trabajo de Marchant (1958Marchant ( , 1959 es el único que recopila información sobre la taxonomía, ecología e historia natural de la avifauna característica de esta región. ...
... Una observación destacada realizada por Marchant (1958Marchant ( , 1959 fue la identificación de un grupo de aves terrestres que realizan movimientos estacionales reproductivos entre los bosques húmedos de la costa norte de Ecuador y la región árida de la península de Santa Elena y el sur occidente de Ecuador. Estas aves se denominan migrantes intratropicales. ...
Esta obra se produce en el marco del proyecto Conservando Areas Prioritarias para Aves Acuáticas Migratorias - Salinas de Ecuasal auspiciado por el Acta para la Conservación de Aves Neotropicales Migratorias (NMBCA por sus siglas en inglés) del Servicio de Vida Silvestre de los Estados Unidos y con financiamiento para su producción de ECUASAL C.A. (Ecuatoriana de Sal y Productos Químicos). Esta obra es una herramienta de planeación desarrollada por Aves y Conservación / BirdLife en Ecuador en pro de la gestión sostenible de los humedales artificiales y de la conservación de las poblaciones silvestres de aves acuáticas migratorias que utilizan las piscinas como sitio de paso obligatorio y área de invierno durante su migración activa.
... Santa Elena peninsula is located at the southwestern coast of Ecuador ( Fig. 1) and presents several fossil localities (i.e., La Carolina, Tanque Loma, Corralito, etc.; see Hoffstetter 1952;Lindsey and Lopez 2015), being the most important site of the western coast of South America together with the Talara region in northwest Peru (Fig. 1). In La Carolina (02°15′ S / 80° 53′ W) several discoveries of Pleistocene vertebrate fossils have been made in tar pits (see Spillmann 1942;Hoffstetter 1952;Marchant 1958;Edmund 1965;Campbell 1976;Coltorti et al. 1998;Tomiati and Abbazzi 2002;Tito 2008;Lindsey and Lopez 2015;Macas and Román-Carrión 2019). ...
... The La Carolina tar deposits belong to the Tablazo Formation, defined by Bosworth (1922) as a fossiliferous sandstone and several authors have identified three terraces or "tablazos" (I, II and III) being from the Lower, Middle and Upper Pleistocene respectively; although Marchant (1958) has proposed the existence of a single terrace. Punctually in the sector of La Carolina, "Tablazo III" was been replaced by sedimentation strata, some of which are fluvial, some lacustrine, corresponding to estuarine deposits with accumulations of fossil bones (Lindsey and Seymour 2015). ...
The fossil record of New World vultures (Cathartidae) and hawks (Accipitridae) in South America is extensive but still remains patchy, with relatively few records coming from northern South America. The aim of the present contribution is to describe new records of birds of prey from Late Pleistocene beds of the La Carolina tar seeps (Santa Elena Province) at the southern coast of Ecuador and from the Cangagua Formation (Chimborazo Province) in the central region of the Ecuadorian Andes. The new fossils include the first Ecuadorian record of the extinct Buteogallus hibbardi, the presence of a very large and probably new eagle, a new species of the genus Buteo and a new genus and species of condor. The new Buteo is represented by a nearly complete hindlimb of a medium-sized species showing several features reminiscent of the long-legged Buteogallus. The new condor is represented by an isolated quadrate medium-sized that shows a unique combination of characters that distinguish it from the extant Vultur, Gymnogyps, and Sarcoramphus, as well as from the extinct Geronogyps. It was similar in size to extant Sarcoramphus, and indicates that the diversity of the condor lineage in the Pleistocene of South America is far from being well known.
... Most information on the breeding biology of A. bahamensis is based on data from A. b. bahamensis (Sorenson 1992;Sorenson et al. 1992;Kear 2005;Johnsgard 2010;Davis et al. 2017). Accounts about the southern A. b. rubrirostris report that nesting occurs from April-September along the coasts of Ecuador (Marchant 1958(Marchant , 1960RSOLAB7 2020), October-November in Argentina (Kear 2005), and November-February in Chile (Saratscheff et al. 1991;Tala and Gabella 1991;Vilina 1995;Rubio 1998). ...
... m9.figshare.14776242 results Marchant (1958Marchant ( , 1960 recorded several A. b. rubrirostris between 1954-1957 in the Santa Elena Peninsula, southwestern Ecuador, the first published record in the country (Ridgely and Greenfield 2001). However, an adult male A. b. rubrirostris collected at the Santa Elena Peninsula on 22 December 1933 (by Philip Hershkovitz and deposited at the bird collection of Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan; UMMZ 91899, GBIF 2021) provides evidence that the species has been present on the coast of Ecuador at least since the early 20 th century-though probably rare based on the lack of specimens collected by expeditions visiting the area during the late 19 th century (Chapman 1926). ...
We review the distribution of White-cheeked Pintail (Anas bahamensis rubrirostris) in mainland Ecuador and show that the species has expanded its range significantly. Contrary to published records, A. b. rubrirostris has been present in mainland Ecuador at least since the early 20th century, although probably in low numbers. During the 20th century, the species increased its range along the entire coastlands of Ecuador and has reached the coasts of Colombia. The species has also extended its presence along the Andes, and we report the first breeding records of A. b. rubrirostris in the Andes at altitudes between 23602440 m, the highest across the entire range of the species. Additionally, we describe the transitioning plumage between ducklings and juveniles, which has not been portrayed in detail before.
... Playero migratorio que anida en el centro y este de Norteamérica y migra hacia la costa Atlántica desde Carolina del Norte hasta México y las Antillas (Hayman et al. 1986). En Ecuador sólo se conoce un registro de una hembra colectada en Salinas, provincia de Santa Elena, el 15 de octubre de 1955 (Marchant 1958 Playero residente que se distribuye principalmente en el Neotrópico, desde el sur de los Estados Unidos hasta el Perú y norte de Brasil y las Islas Galápagos (Hayman et al. 1986). En Ecuador la especie es residente con poblaciones numerosas. ...
... Elena en los 1898 (Ridgely y Greenfield 2001). Marchant, S. (1958) reportó un grupo de ocho individuos en la provincia de Santa Elena en abril de 1954, y más tarde T. Davis reportó dos en Salinas el 11 de julio de 1974 (Ridgely y Greenfield 2001 conclusiones y recomendaciones E cuador registra 59 especies de aves playeras de las cuales 42 tienen poblaciones reconocidas, las restantes 17 son accidentales o hipotéticas. No existe suficiente información poblacional sobre las aves playeras en Ecuador. ...
Este documento técnico presenta la información completa de tres años de investigación sobre aves playeras en Ecuador. Este documento sirve como un respaldo al Resumen Ejecutivo del Plan de Conservación de Aves Playeras recientemente publicado (Diciembre 2017).
... Individuals from the small colony recently documented on the northern coast of Nariño Department, western Colombia (Johnston-Gonzalez et al. 2005) have not been identified to subspecies, and egg measurements reported from this colony do not resolve the subspecific identity of these birds. Measurements of individuals from southwestern Ecuador, the only other known breeding location for Gull-billed Terns along the Pacific coast of South America , are consistent with the eastern subspecies aranea (Marchant 1958; Ridgely and Greenfield 2001). The few specimens from Peru have not been assigned to subspecies; most records are from May to September and breeding has not been documented (T. S. Schulenberg, pers. ...
... In summary, no specimen identified as vanrossemi has been taken south of Guatemala , where a specimen from the " Chiapam " series fits this race, according to Hellmayr and Conover (1948). The single specimen from the Pacific coast of Honduras as well as those from Panama and Ecuador appeared from measurements to be aranea (Marchant 1958, Wetmore 1965, Monroe 1968, Ridgely and Greenfield 2001 ), so many, if not all, Gullbilled Terns on the Pacific coast of Central and South America may be of this subspecies . This pattern of eastern North American and Caribbean breeding populations wintering on the Pacific Coast is shown in some other taxa, e.g., Sandwich Tern, S. sandvicensis (AOU 1998), Herring Gull (Larus argentatus ; Cooke 1941) and Laughing Gull (L. ...
The Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) has until recently received little conservation and management attention within North America despite a relatively low overall population size and significant declines in parts of the breeding range. This lack of attention may stem in part from the wide distribution of the species, encompassing parts of six continents, and from its tendency to nest in relatively small, scattered and often ephemeral colonies. Populations of North American subspecies are alarmingly small. The current population of the eastern subspecies aranea in the U.S. is unlikely to exceed 3,600 pairs, with over 60% of these birds occurring in Texas. The Texas population has remained generally stable, but declines of populations in Maryland (where probably extirpated), Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and possibly Georgia give cause for concern for this subspecies. For the western subspecies vanrossemi, as few as 250 pairs nest at only two locations in the U.S., both in California. When populations in western Mexico are considered, the entire vanrossemi population numbers only 600-800 pairs. Currently the Gull-billed Tern is listed as “endangered” or “threatened” in four states, and is considered to be of management concern in five others. The breeding range of the species has contracted and shifted slightly from its known historic range in the middle Atlantic states, but otherwise occupies its historic range in the United States and has expanded slightly to coastal southern California. Some range contraction in Mexico (e.g., in Sonora) may have occurred. In eastern Mexico, historical information is almost non-existent and knowledge of current distribution and abundance is incomplete. Main threats to populations in North America include loss of natural nesting islands through beach erosion or perturbations to estuarine functions, development or modification of upland habitats near breeding areas that may be important for foraging, and disturbances to colonies by humans and feral or human-subsidized predators. This species often nests on man-made substrates suggesting it could be responsive to management of breeding sites. Key research needs include more frequent and refined population monitoring, a better understanding of demographics, metapopulation dynamics and factors limiting populations as well as refinement of subspecies’ breeding distributions and wintering ranges.
... Sin embargo, hasta donde conocemos, no hay descripciones previas de reproducción de las poblaciones más al norte de toda su distribución -i.e., península de Santa Elena, Ecuador. Marchant (1958) sugiere que esta especie podría criar la primera mitad del año en Santa Elena, pero no da más información. ...
Alcaraván Peruano Burhinus superciliaris, primera descripción de su nido y huevos en Ecuador.
... The copyright holder for this preprint (which this version posted July 18, 2022. Marchant (1958Marchant ( , 1960 During the 20 th century, A. bahamensis rubrirostris increased its range along the Pacific 98 coastlands of Ecuador, becoming locally common below 50 m and evaluated as a non-99 . CC-BY 4.0 International license available under a was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. ...
We review the distribution of White-cheeked Duck Anas bahamensis rubrirostris in mainland Ecuador and show that the species is expanding its range significantly. Contrary to published records, A. b. rubrirostris has been present in mainland Ecuador at least since the early 20th century, although probably in low numbers. During the 20th century, the species increased its range along the entire coastlands of Ecuador and nowadays, it has reached the coasts of Colombia. The species has also extended its presence along the Andes, and we report the first breeding records of A. b. rubrirostris in the Andes at altitudes between 2360 and 2440 m, the highest across the entire range of the species. We describe the transitioning plumage between duckling and juveniles, which has not been portrayed in detail before.
... En Ecuador solo existen algunas observaciones y reportes de nidos o refugios (Cooper 2006). Según Marchant (1958), se reproduce en la primera mitad del año en la península de Santa Elena. En un estudio en curso, Varela et al. (en prep.) ...
Realizamos una revisión del estado del conocimiento y distribución de los 28 Strigiformes del Ecuador, para contribuir a un mejor entendimiento de su estado de conservación.
... In prehistoric times, the vegetation was dominated by lowland dry scrub, savanna, and lowland deciduous forest (Hidalgo Nistri 1998, Piperno andPearsall 1998;vegetation classification after Sierra et al. 1999). Because of deforestation during the twentieth century, much of the area is now dominated by agricultural lands, dry scrub, and near-desert conditions (Marchant 1958;Dodson and Gentry 1991;Sierra et al. 2002). El Azúcar is located on the southern limits of the Cordillera Chongón-Colonche which marks the boundary between humid vegetation types found in the coastal mountain ranges and the Río Guayas basin and the xeric vegetation of the peninsula (Piperno and Pearsall 1998;Veintimilla 2000). ...
The Guangala people of El Azúcar, located 25 km from the Ecuadorean coast, specialized on the production of beads and hunting for trade between approximately 150 BC and 370 AC. In this study, I analyzed the avian component of the zooarchaeological remains to examine patterns in resource use and paleoecological conditions during site occupancy. For comparison, I also identified the bird bones from three archeological sites in the Valdivia Valley, 38 km to the north. The composition of the avifauna at the El Azúcar site is highly unusual. Unlike at any other sites, including the Valdivia Village sites examined in this study, songbirds and small ground doves make up over 90% of all samples. The large number of songbirds and columbids is probably due to a combination of (1) taphonomy, (2) the use of 1/8 in. mesh for screening of sediments during excavation, and (3) local adaptations in resource use. Novel hypotheses regarding the exploitation of birds by the Guangala people of El Azúcar are presented. Most importantly, I posit that most birds were probably hunted by women and children in and around agricultural plots, perhaps by using fishing nets. The avifauna at El Azúcar and the Valdivia Village suggest that climate was variable, consistent with the expected impact of the El Niño Southern Oscillation on the Ecuadorian coast. These insights could not have been gained without the use of 1/8-in screens and species-level identifications of the zooarchaeological specimens.
... Little is known about the reproduction of many species of tropical birds, and especially those endemic to limited geographic regions. Despite several existing publications on the nesting biology of birds in southwestern Ecuador (Marchant 1958(Marchant , 1959(Marchant , 1960Balchin 1996, Best et al. 1996, basic information, such as clutch size, egg descriptions, incubation and nestling times, and nest and site characteristics are unknown for many species. This information not only allows the examination of regional and local variation in these traits within species, but can be crucial to conservation efforts which aim to increase reproductive success of threatened species. ...
Little is known about the reproduction of many species of tropical birds, and especially those endemic to limited geographic regions. Gaining information such as nest architecture and site, clutch size, and Incubation and nestling periods not only allows for the examination of regional and local variation in these traits within species, but can be crucial to conservation efforts which aim to increase reproductive success of threatened species. The Tumbesian region of southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru encompasses the great majority of remaining coastal tropical dry forest in South America, and is one of the most threatened bioregions in the world due to heavy human use. This paper presents descriptions of the nests, eggs, incubation and nestling periods and nest placement for 32 bird species found on the coast of Ecuador in Machalilla National Park, which is one of the largest parks in the Tumbesian region. Fourteen of the species discussed are endemic to the region, and first descriptions of part of the breeding biology of twelve species are given. Accepted 2 February 2010.
... Sarma (1974) notes a trend of increasing aridity throughout the Holocene, with brief returns to fluvial conditions around 7500 and 4000 years ago. In the last century, vegetation cover has been substantially reduced through human activities, including deforestation (Marchant, 1958;Bogin, 1982;Stothert, 1985Stothert, , 2011. ...
... We also compare our results with Marchant's (1958Marchant's ( , 1959Marchant's ( , 1960) data on the breeding of birds in S. W. Ecuador, an environment floristically and climatically similar to Galapagos (Svenson 1946, Grant & Boag 1980, Grant & Grant 1980b, and with the characteristics of temperate populations. The comparisons reveal interesting differences in the factors responsible for variation in breeding, that can be related to differences in the seasonality and unpredictability of environmental conditions. ...
Recruitment was very low, except from the 1978 cohort. Females paired predominantly with older males. Cactus finches breed in apparent response to two sets of environmental cues: 1) the cactus flowering in October-December, and 2) rainfall and the associated plant/insect response in January-May. Onset of breeding was less synchronised in the pre-rains spell than during the rains. Clutch size and fledging success were positively correlated with amount of rainfall. There was some evidence of a density-dependent effect on clutch size independent of rainfall. Higher clutch sizes resulted in higher numbers of fledglings, but these survived less well to independence, with the end result being no significant difference in number of surviving young from different clutch sizes. Breeding output and success were much more variable between bouts than within bouts, and did not vary systematically with the age of the breeding birds, territory quality or position on the island.-from Authors
Resumen Ejecutivo del Plan de Conservación para Aves Playeras en Ecuador. Documento técnico.
The Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma occurs in southern and eastern Africa, and in northern and eastern South America. It is widespread and common in Africa, where the population of the subspecies Netta e. brunnea is estimated at 30,000-70,000 individuals. Distribution of the nominate subspecies Netta e. erythrophthalma in South America is more localised, with breeding populations in the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, and the Andes from Venezuela south to the Andes in Argentina, and on the Atlantic coast of Brazil. Estimates of total numbers in South America, put at c. 25,000 birds, have been rather imprecise due to lack of data and likely overestimate the actual numbers. The species has been declining and contracting its range in South America since the 1970s. A review of the current distribution and status of Southern Pochard in South America suggests a major decline throughout most of its range, particularly in the Andes, Caribbean coast and Pacific lowlands, with no recent confirmed records from most of Colombia and Peru and dramatically reduced numbers in Ecuador. It is declining in Venezuela and numbers in Argentina have always been low. In Brazil the species is still numerous in Ceará south to Bahia and Goiás states, but apparently declining. Hunting and habitat loss from siltation, dredging and destruction of riparian vegetation appear to be the major threats. We estimate that the current maximum numbers are of 10,000 Southern Pochard in South America (although potentially as few as 5,000), making it necessary to update and revise the conservation status of this South American subspecies.
From 14 June to 5 July 1979 we studied the avifauna at two localities in Depto. Tumbes, Peru, near the Ecuadorean border. We obtained specimens of six species and 15 subspecies new for Peru, and collected specimens and natural history information on such poorly known taxa as Ortalis erythroptera, Synallaxis tithys, Automolus erythrocephalus, and Thamnophilus zarumae. /// Entre el 14 de junio y el 5 de julio de 1979 estudiamos la avifauna de dos localidades cercanas a la frontera con Ecuador en el Departamento de Tumbes, Perú. Obtuvimos espécimenes de seis especies y 15 subespecies nuevas para el Perú y coleccionamos espécimenes e informatión sobre la historia natural de taxa poco conocida como: Ortalis erythroptera, Synallaxis tithys, Automolus erythrocephalus y Thamnophilus zarumae.
Realizamos registros en diversas localidades del suroccidente de Ecuador durante censos mensuales en las piscinas artificiales de Ecuasal, en las costas de la provincia de Santa Elena y en el archipiélago de Jambelí, provincia de El Oro. Este estudio presenta nuevos registros geográficos de especies raras en el suroccidente de Ecuador y contribuye al conocimiento de la distribución de las aves en Ecuador continental. Se presenta el primer registro fotográfico de la Aguja Canela (Limosa fedoa), se evidencia la presencia de la Agachona Chica (Thinocorus rumicivorus) (un vagrante raro en Ecuador) y se presenta el registro más al sur que existe en Sudamérica del Gaviotín Piquirrojo (Hydroprogne caspia).
The present study is a contribution to the knowledge of the current population status of the Peruvian Thick-knee (Burhinus superciliaris) in the Santa Elena Peninsula, Ecuador. Field monitoring was carried out during January and February 2009, with 46 censuses in 14 transects, as well records previous to this study were collected and noted. The Santa Elena Peninsula population shows a clumped distribution pattern, where individuals are mainly gathered in three nuclei «Velasco Ibarra, Entre Río and Real Alto» in small patches of habitat subjected to a moderate degree of deforestation, far away from village settlements. The relative abundance (estimated using a kilometric index of abundance, IKA) of thick-knees in studied locations varied from IKA=1,27 for Anconcito-Velasco Ibarra to IKA=0,47 for Entre Río. Losses of population nucleus such as Santa Paula, inhabited in 2000, demonstrate that the species continues to decline in areas subjected to major disturbances. Habitat destruction and fragmentation associated to the growth of human coastal communities and expansion of petroleum fields are the main impact on this species’s populations, although the lack of information about its ecology and distribution prevents from making a more accurate evaluation.
Observations are given for 25 species of birds seen in southwestern Ecuador or just offshore near the mouth of the Gulf of Guayaquil to supplement the records of Marchant (1958) and Lévêque (1964). Of the 25 species listed, 19 are sea-birds and a number are species not commonly reported from the area. Two records of the Antarctic Fulmar Fulmarus glacbloides are given, one of which may be the first for Ecuador. The presence of Sooty Terns Sterna fuscata and possibly a few Brown Boobies Sula leucogaster just north of the Santa Elena Peninsula is unusual and was probably the result of an incursion of warm water from the west or north. In May 1966 450 + boobies, 10 Sooty Terns and 350 Brown Pelicans were counted on Isla Pelado (El Viejo) in Bahia de Santa Elena.
Occasional observations were made during 1960–62 mainly around Quito and Guayaquil, to supplement the works of Chapman (1926) and Marchant (1958). Three species are mentioned for the first time from western Ecuador and one from the Amazonian side; 34 North American migrants were seen. Data are provided for several tropical species ranging up to the Sierra. The existence of a large mixed heronry on the Guayas is also mentioned.
Migration in Iraq is discussed on the basis of three years' experience supplemented by data from other unpublished sources and the literature.
The migration of certain passerine and near-passerine species is considered, particularly as regards comparative numbers seen in spring and autumn, and the question of their passages between breeding quarters in the Palaearctic and winter quarters in Africa, in relation to weather, geography and ecology of the Middle East. Of about 50 species discussed, half are clearly more abundant in spring, and most of the rest probably are; thus supporting the idea that such species in autumn may make longer unbroken flights than in spring. For a number of these species the nearness of the breeding quarters to Baghdad is stressed.
Exceptions are Streptopelia turtur, Alaudidae, hirundines and perhaps Motacilla flava, which are prominent, and even the only, visible daylight migrants among such small birds. These cross Iraq from east to west in autumn in vast numbers and are thought to migrate round the Fertile Crescent past Damascus, rather than fly direct towards Africa. Comparisons are made with the Mediterranean region and the rest of the Arabian peninsula, and some comments are added on the matter of broad-front and narrow-front migrations.
In an appendix the most important aspects of migration of large non-passerine birds in Iraq are discussed.
The breeding season on the Santa Elena peninsula in S.W. Ecuador is described on the basis of 1761 nests found in the four years 1955 to 1958. The environment and climate are outlined—a cool, dry season from about May to November and a warm, variable wet season from December to April, when alone rain may fall. It is shown that each year the general breeding season is closely correlated with the rainfall. The peak of breeding varies from year to year by at least a month and its length from about six weeks to three and a half months.
Although all species for which there are enough data, are stimulated to breed after important falls of rain, most of those species of small land-birds which are completely resident, attempt to nest before the rain and often continue for some time afterwards. Some specific differences, between seed- and insect-eating finches, seem to be adaptations to food supply and the availability of nest sites and building material. Such evidence as there is suggests that raptors, waders and waterfowl also nest in the wet season (often late), rather than in the dry season. (Unfortunately herons and sea-birds do not nest in the area.)
Annual differences in the amount of breeding by the same species are thought not to be entirely due to differences in weather between years.
It is suggested that the late (August-September) breeding in the Galápagos Islands described by Lack (1950) and the apparent dry-season nesting of raptors, waders and waterfowl there might be found to be linked with variable or abnormally wet weather, if records of rainfall from the islands were available.
We wish to dedicate this paper to the memory of Professor A. J. Marshall whose untimely death occurred while it was in press. Professor Marshall was formerly the head of the Department of Zoology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College, London, and subsequently held the Foundation Chair of Zoology and Comparative Physiology, Monash University, Australia. Probably the most valuable of his many contributions to the field of avian physiology was his ability to relate laboratory experimentation to the natural environment. Much of the thought contained in the present paper has been stimulated by his approach and pioneer studies.
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