Post-breeding movements of Wood Storks in Brazil and Argentina

Author(s)

Del Lama, Silvia Nassif ^[1] ; da Silva Avelar, Luiza Helena ^[1] ; Xavier Nascimento, Joao Luiz ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Genet & Evolucao, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Floresta Nacl Restinga Cabedelo, ICMBio, Natl Ctr Res & Bird Conservat CEMAVE, BR-58310000 Cabedelo, PB - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY; v. 86, n. 4, p. 283-287, DEC 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 3

Abstract

Seasonal migration and the dispersal of juvenile and adult Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) after breeding have been documented in the United States, but little is known about the post-breeding movements of Wood Storks in South America. Our objective was to identify the locations of post-breeding areas used by Wood Storks banded as nestlings in breeding colonies in Brazil by analyzing banding data. During the period from 1984 to 2007, 2543 nestlings were banded at breeding colonies in three regions of Brazil, with most (94%) banded in the Pantanal wetland in west-central Brazil. Seventeen bands were subsequently recovered, with most (14) recovered in southern Brazil and northern Argentina. The mean distance between banding and recovery sites was 1265 km. Our results suggest that Wood Stork movements from breeding areas in Brazil are, as also reported in the United States, in response to changing water levels. The rainy season begins at the end of the breeding season and, in apparent response to rising water levels, Wood Storks in our study moved to drier areas further south with shallower water where they can forage more efficiently. Because only a small percentage of the area where Wood Stork bands were recovered in our study is currently protected, measures are needed to prevent habitat destruction and preserve wetland habitats used by Wood Storks during the post-breeding period in southern Brazil and Argentina. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/52315-7 - Top predators of food chain
• Grantee: Pedro Manoel Galetti Junior
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 10/50406-5 - Colonization of the American Continent by African populations of cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) and its parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus): genetics revealing the bioinvasion process
• Grantee: Silvia Nassif Del Lama
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants