Patterns of use of space of the black-headed-vulture (Coragyps atratus, Cathartidae) in the UNICAMP campus

• Grant number: 13/10662-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Theoretical Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Wesley Rodrigues Silva
• Grantee: Marcelo Rodrigues Vilarta
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The vultures (Cathartiformes: Cathartidae) are large birds of prey, with numerous anatomical and physiological adaptations to their habits and diet. In the urban environment, some species of this family, like the black-headed-vulture, became increasingly abundant, often causing damage and conflicts that require management actions, which depend on prior knowledge about the distribution of the species. Thus, this study aims to identify patterns of use of space in the campus of UNICAMP by the black-headed-vulture. During one year, systematized occurrence records will be held weekly, using the fixed point sampling method, with 54 sampling units and 12 minutes of observation per each, totalizing 500 hours of observation. The records will be based on the behavioral state of the birds and the type of substrate occupied. The study will also include a spatial analysis, in which elements of the campus will be evaluated at a landscape scale, and the substrates occupied by the birds will be analyzed for their structural characteristics. The patterns of use of space found will be related to some meteorological variables prevailing during the samplings. This study will contribute to the understanding of the spatial-temporal dynamics of the black-headed-vulture, as well as subsidize specific management actions in the Unicamp campus. (AU)