DOES THE FOREST OR THE ANTHROPOGENIC BUILDING DISTANCE INFLUENCE GREAT KISKADEE (PITANGUS SULPHURATUS) NESTING SITE SELECTION?

Abstract

Human settlements expansion has generated significant changes in natural ecosystems. The consequences in the avifauna are varied, among them, changes in the availability of natural and artificial sites to build nests. Some species can nest on perches built by humans; however the characteristics of the perch that are selected are unknown. Our objective with this work is to determine if the presence of nests of the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) on electricity posts, depends on the proximity of the post to a building inhabited by humans or whether it depends on the proximity to a forest patch. We counted and described all the posts present in 30 km of gravel and asphalt roads. We classified each post according to the number of plates, electrical transformers and lights. We also checked if each post had or not a nest of under study species. Using a GPS, We measured the distance between en the post and the forest and between en the post and the nearest building. The presence of nests was more frequent in posts far from a forest and near from a building. In addition, the characteristics of the post influence the presence of Great Kiskadee nests in posts.