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King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa (Linnaeus, 1758) (Aves, Cathartidae) nesting in a manmade structure

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Laís Petri at Michigan State University
Laís Petri
Barbara Heliodora Soares do Prado
Barbara Heliodora Soares do Prado
Barbara Heliodora Soares do Prado
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Alexsander Antunes at Instituto Florestal
Alexsander Antunes
Benedito Carlos de Oliveira
Benedito Carlos de Oliveira
Benedito Carlos de Oliveira
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The King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa (Linnaeus, 1758) is declining globally and it is listed as threatened with extinction in state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Despite a recent increase in observations of this species, nesting records are scarce in the state. We report a nesting attempt on an observation tower at Estação Ecológica de Angatuba, southwestern state of São Paulo.
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http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v13n2/en/abstract?short-communication+bn04013022013 http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br
Biota Neotrop., vol. 13, no. 2
King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa (Linnaeus, 1758)
(Aves, Cathartidae) nesting in a manmade structure
Laís Petri1, Bárbara Heliodora Soares do Prado2,4,
Alexsander Zamorano Antunes3 & Benedito Carlos de Oliveira2
¹Universidade Federal de São Carlos – UFSCar, CEP 18052-780, Sorocaba, SP, Brasil
²Estação Ecológica de Angatuba, Seção de Estação Experimental de Itapetininga - IF,
CP 143, CEP 18200-000, Itapetininga, SP, Brasil
³Instituto Florestal – IF, Rua do Horto, 931, CEP 02377-000, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
www.iorestal.sp.gov.br
4Corresponding author: Bárbara Heliodora Soares do Prado, e-mail: barbarahsprado@gmail.com
PETRI, L., PRADO, B.H.S., ANTUNES, A.Z. & OLIVEIRA, B.C. King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa (Linnaeus,
1758) (Aves, Cathartidae) nesting in a manmade structure. Biota Neotrop. 13(2): http://www.biotaneotropica.
org.br/v13n2/en/abstract?short-communication+bn04013022013
Abstract: The King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa (Linnaeus, 1758) is declining globally and it is listed as threatened
with extinction in state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Despite a recent increase in observations of this species,
nesting records are scarce in the state. We report a nesting attempt on an observation tower at Estação Ecológica
de Angatuba, southwestern state of São Paulo.
Keywords: Angatuba, breeding behavior, conservation, wooden tower.
PETRI, L., PRADO, B.H.S., ANTUNES, A.Z. & OLIVEIRA, B.C. Urubu-rei Sarcoramphus papa (Linnaeus,
1758) (Aves, Cathartidae) nidicando em estrutura feita pelo homem. Biota Neotrop. 13(2): http://www.
biotaneotropica.org.br/v13n2/pt/abstract?short-communication+bn04013022013
Resumo: O urubu-rei Sarcoramphus papa (Linnaeus, 1758) está em declínio globalmente e é listado como
ameaçado de extinção no estado de São Paulo. Apesar do aumento recente de observações da espécie, os
registros de nidicação nesse estado são escassos. Relatamos uma tentativa de nidicação do urubu-rei em torre
de observação na Estação Ecológica de Angatuba, sudoeste do estado de São Paulo.
Palavras-chave: Angatuba, comportamento reprodutivo, conservação, torre de madeira.
356
Petri, L. et al.
http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v13n2/en/abstract?short-communication+bn04013022013
Biota Neotrop., vol. 13, no. 2
species like Black Lion Tamarin Leontopithecus chrysopygus (Mikan,
1823) (Monteiro et al. 2009).
A wooden observation tower, known locally as “mirante”,
was installed at the station highest point, 822 m altitude, on a
Semideciduous Forest stretch (23° 24’ 29” S and 48° 22’ 03” W). It
has approximately 20 m high and its original function is to assist in
early re detection. We used a digital camera trap Tigrinus - Sony
Cyber-Shot 14 megapixel to obtain the photograph.
Results and Discussion
On July 26 2012 a white egg was found on the tower at 11 m
height (Figure 1). A week later, the camera trap was installed just
ahead of the egg, about 1.5 m apart, and left for 6 h. An adult was
photographed next to the egg (Figure 2). On August 26 2012 the egg
had disappeared and the adults did not return. Cuneo (1968) reports
a 50 to 53 day incubation period. Only 30 days passed since our
discovery, which we believed happened near the laying date due to
frequent visits to area. The egg was probably preyed upon, predation
of eggs and nestlings is a frequent cause of nest failure in vultures
(Cuneo 1968, Sarasola et al. 2000).
This report represents the first documented record of this
species for Estação Ecológica de Angatuba (Willis & Oniki 2003,
Monteiro et al. 2009, Centro... 2012, Wikiaves 2012). Among
Cathartidae, use of manmade structures has also been reported for
Black Vulture Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) (Hill III & Scherer-
Neto 1991, Vasconcelos 1997). Flexibility in choice of nesting sites
Introduction
The King Vulture is an iconic member of the Neotropical fauna,
thanks to its size, color and natural rarity. Although not considered
globally threatened, their populations are in decline, mostly due to
habitat loss and poaching (BirdLife… 2012). Available population
estimates suggest fewer than 50,000 individuals all over its original
distribution area from Mexico to Argentina, and total number of
mature specimens is less than 10,000 (BirdLife… 2012).
In the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, the King Vulture
is considered threatened with extinction and listed in the category
“vulnerable” (São Paulo 2008). Even with increasing recent records
in this state (Wikiaves 2012), there are scarce nesting observations
in São Paulo (Silva & Regalado 1998, Giorgetti & Fonseca 2009).
King Vulture nests have been recorded in several sites, such as
ground, rock walls, hollow dead trees and on emergent tree branches
(Smith 1970, Ramo & Busto 1988, Sick 1997, Silva & Regalado
1998, Schlee 1995, 2000, Carvalho-Filho et al. 2004, Giorgetti &
Fonseca 2009). In this paper we report a nest on a manmade structure.
Material and Methods
The observations took place in the Estação Ecológica de
Angatuba, Paranapanema river basin southwestern São Paulo state
(Figure 1). This 1,394.15 ha ecological station preserves important
remnants of Semideciduous Forest and Cerrado, housing emblematic
Figure 1. Location of Estação Ecológica de Angatuba, São Paulo, Brazil.
357
King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa (Linnaeus, 1758) (Aves, Cathartidae) nesting in a manmade structure
http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v13n2/en/abstract?short-communication+bn04013022013 http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br
Biota Neotrop., vol. 13, no. 2
probably works as a pre-adaptation to use of certain buildings by
vulture species.
Generally, reserve managers are aware of negative impacts that
manmade structures can have on wildlife, for example collisions
with window panes (Klem 2009). However, our report indicates the
possibility that some of these structures can be used in order to favor
certain species, including endangered ones. Researchers and other
professionals associated with the management of protected areas
should be aware of this possibility.
Acknowledgments
We thanks Estação Ecológica de Angatuba staff for their
commitment and dedication, Angélica Midori Sugieda, Fundação
Parque Zoológico de São Paulo, and two anonymous referees for
valuable comments.
References
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CARVALHO-FILHO, E.P.M., ZORZIN, G. & SPECHT, G.V.A. 2004.
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southeastern Brazil. Ornitol. Neotrop. 15(2):219-224.
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(Sarcoramphus papa) em Cabrália Paulista, interior de São Paulo, Brasil.
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HILL III, J.R. & SCHERER-NETO, P. 1991. Black vultures nesting on sky
scrapers in southern Brazil. J. Field Ornithol. 62(2):173-76.
KLEM, D.J.R. 2009. Preventing bird-window collisions. Wilson J. Ornithol.
121(2):314-321. http://dx.doi.org/10.1676/08-118.1
MONTEIRO, C.H., PRADO, B.H.S. & DIAS, A.C. 2009. Plano de Manejo
da Estação Ecológica de Angatuba. Instituto Florestal, SMA, São
Paulo. http://www.iorestal.sp.gov.br/Plano_de_manejo/eec_angatuba/
Plano_de_Manejo_EEc_Angatuba.pdf (último acesso em 18/12/2012).
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SCHLEE, M.A. 1995. Nest records for the king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa)
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SCHLEE, M.A. 2000. Posthumous presentation of Carl B. Koford’s
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Received 02/04/2013
Revised 05/27/2013
Accepted 06/28/2013
Figure 2. King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) with its egg. The inset shows
the Estação Ecológica de Angatuba observation tower, with arrow indicating
nesting site.
... Yet, two eggs from wild birds come from countries with no breeding records on literature, Peru and Bolivia. More detailed data come from only three countries: Panama (Lundy 1957;Wetmore 1965;Smith 1970), Venezuela (Ramo and Busto 1988;Schlee 1995), and Brazil (Carvalho-Filho et al. 2004;Petri et al. 2013; WA2423099; WA2392238), but each of these referring to one or two nests only. The only thoroughly monitored nest is the one by Carvalho-Filho et al. (2004). ...
... The King Vulture has variable nest site choice. Although some nests were at ground level (Smith 1970;Schlee 1995), the species may also nest up to~10 m high in small caves (Silva and Regalado 1998), holes in trees (Ramo and Busto 1988) or even man-made structures (Petri et al. 2013)-and one even higher nest (apparently dozens of meters aboveground, on a cliff) was reported (Carvalho-Filho et al. 2004). Clutch size was always one. ...
... However, there is also evidence suggesting that the species may take advantage of some human activities (Olmos et al. 2006). The nest record in a man-made structure (Petri et al. 2013) shows that King Vultures might be able to use artificial breeding sites. Artificial nest sites mimicking real ones could be a useful strategy to bolster raptors' populations (Liébana et al. 2013), and it was suggested that such man-made nests may even help improve ecosystem services provided by these birds (Murúa et al. 2004). ...
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