Behavior, ecology and territory of the chestnut-bellied hummingbird, Saucerottia castaneiventris, in the xerophytic vegetation of the Chicamocha canyon of Colombia

Abstract

The Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird Saucerottia castaneiventris is an endemic hummingbird of Colombia, currently categorized as Near Threatened (NT) globally and as Vulnerable (VU) in Colombia. We characterize the territorial defense and foraging behaviors of S. castaneiventris hummingbird during different seasons of the year, and we determined the size of the S. castaneiventris territory and its relationship with floral abundance at different times of the year. We made four field trips between 2008 and 2009 and registered 19 individuals from S. castaneiventris. Of these, 10 were in the rainy periods, distributed in five territories (one male and one female for each). Eight were in the dry period (July), distributed in four territories. And one individual was in the dry period of February, which did not settle in any of the identified territories. Territorial defense occupied a large part of species’ time. The nectar drinking, and insect hunting were the most frequent activities. The most common floral resources were Opuntia dillenii, Tillandsia sp. and Aloe vera. The hummingbirds Chlorostilbon gibsoni and Doryfera ludoviciae shared habitats with S. castaneiventris and there were fluctuations in encounter rates between the seasons (C. gibsoni ER: 20–7.5 and D. ludoviciae and ER: 0.0–2.5). Territories ranged between 1800 and 3800 m2 for the dry season and between 1500 and 6500 m2 for the rainy season. Our results provided primary information on the ecology of S. castaneiventris and form the basis for the formulation of conservation strategies for the species and for its habitats..