Life history of the Red-crowned Woodpecker ( Melanerpes rubricapillus ; family Picidae) in Colombia

Abstract

The Red-crowned Woodpecker, Melanerpes rubricapillus (family Picidae) is one of 24 species that makes up the genus. In Colombia, its distribution has increased in the last fifteen years, and the ecological aspects that are known about the species come from only a few specific nests. There are knowledge gaps for the species related to, among others, food preference, nestling development, and parental care. Between January 2019–March 2020, the natural history of M. rubricapillus was studied, with emphasis on reproduction, parental care, vocal communication, and body condition, in Cali, Colombia. Each nest was monitored from its discovery until fledging. Adult reproductive behavior was quantified in detail. The reproductive activity had a unimodal pattern with a maximum number of nests between January–March. Parental investment was the same for both sexes, both in the incubation period and in the chick rearing period. Incubation periods/hour were longer during the early stages of embryonic development and these (incubation periods/hour) increased with clutch size and rainfall intensity. Feeding rate increased with brood size and age of the chicks. The body condition index was correlated with the hematological profile-heterophils/lymphocytes, but the hematological profile-heterophils/lymphocytes were not related to the feeding rate of the adults. Compared to other studies, the findings were similar regarding fledging age and different relative to clutch size, incubation period, parental investment, and number of nestlings.

Keywords

• body condition
• clutch size
• incubation
• nest
• parental investment
• reproduction
• vocalizations
• woodpecker