Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-hvd4g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-01T20:46:59.378Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Occurrence patterns of the endangered Yellow Cardinal Gubernatrix cristata in north-east Argentina: only in savannahs and at sites away from roads

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2022

Fabricio Reales Open the ORCID record for Fabricio Reales [Opens in a new window] ,
Sebastián Dardanelli Open the ORCID record for Sebastián Dardanelli [Opens in a new window] ,
Antonio E. Frutos  and
Martjan Lammertink
Fabricio Reales*
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción – CICYTTP (CONICET–Entre Ríos–UADER), España 149, (3105) Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina
Sebastián Dardanelli
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción – CICYTTP (CONICET–Entre Ríos–UADER), España 149, (3105) Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), EEA Paraná, Oro Verde, Entre Ríos, Argentina
Antonio E. Frutos
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción – CICYTTP (CONICET–Entre Ríos–UADER), España 149, (3105) Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina
Martjan Lammertink
Affiliation:
Instituto de Biología Subtropical, CONICET–Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca NY, USA
*
*Author for correspondence: Fabricio Reales, Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The endangered Yellow Cardinal Gubernatrix cristata is under pressure from habitat loss and from capturing for the cage bird trade. In north-east Argentina it is known to be associated with the Espinal ecoregion, but no information was available on habitat selection within this ecoregion. In Entre Ríos province, Argentina, we first sampled Yellow Cardinal presence in four environments: Espinal savannahs, Espinal open woodlands, riparian woodlands, and agricultural fields. Yellow Cardinals were only detected in savannahs. In a second set of surveys, transects were surveyed at sites with known presence of Yellow Cardinals and were placed within savannahs as well as nearby in open forests of only slightly different physiognomy. Yellow Cardinals were again only detected in savannahs. Tree density, shrub cover and height of herbaceous layer were lower in savannahs than in open woodlands. Ground-foraging Yellow Cardinals in savannahs foraged exclusively in grass patches with short grass of 3˗12 cm height. Such short grass occurred in 75% of spots of savannahs sites, but only in 48% of open woodlands. Savannah sites with Yellow Cardinals were significantly further away from permanent roads than sites without Cardinals, likely a reflection of capture pressure near roads. We recommend establishing additional protected areas with a high proportion of savannah patches and with limited or no road access. The short grass used by foraging Yellow Cardinals requires maintenance through grazing. Rewilding with native herbivores in protected areas is preferable to attain natural herbivory, but during the initial stages of rewilding, cattle and sheep grazing are essential to avoid tree and shrub proliferation in savannahs. The Yellow Cardinal can also persist on private lands with Espinal vegetation under sustainable livestock grazing. Frequent and effective patrolling and road controls are essential to reduce illegal capturing.

Resumen

Resumen

El Cardenal Amarillo Gubernatrix cristata, en peligro de extinción, está bajo presión por la pérdida de hábitat y por la captura para el comercio de aves de jaula. En el noreste de Argentina se sabe que está asociado con la ecorregión Espinal, pero no se dispone de información sobre la selección de hábitat dentro de esta ecorregión. En la provincia de Entre Ríos, Argentina, primero muestreamos la presencia del Cardenal amarillo en cuatro ambientes: sabanas del Espinal, bosques abiertos de Espinal, bosques ribereños, y campos agrícolas. Los Cardenales amarillos solo se detectaron en las sabanas. En un segundo conjunto de muestreos, las transectas se midieron en sitios con presencia conocida de Cardenales amarillos y se colocaron dentro de sabanas, así como cerca en los bosques abiertos de fisonomía ligeramente diferente. Los Cardenales Amarillos nuevamente solo se detectaron en las sabanas. La densidad de árboles, la cobertura de arbustos y la altura del estrato herbáceo fueron menores en las sabanas que en los bosques abiertos. Los Cardenales amarillos que se alimentan en el suelo en las sabanas, se alimentan exclusivamente en parches de pasto corto de 3 a 12 cm de altura. Este pasto corto se presentó en el 75% de los sitios en sabanas, pero solo en el 48% en los bosques abiertos. Los sitios de sabana con Cardenales Amarillos se encontraban significativamente más lejos de las carreteras permanentes que los sitios sin Cardenales, probablemente un reflejo de la presión de captura cerca de los caminos. Recomendamos establecer áreas protegidas adicionales con una alta proporción de parches de sabana y con acceso por carretera limitado o nulo. El pasto corto utilizado por los Cardenales amarillos en busca de alimento requiere mantenimiento a través del pastoreo. Es preferible repoblar con herbívoros nativos en áreas protegidas para lograr la herbivoría natural, pero durante las etapas iniciales de reintroducción de ganado vacuno y ovino, el pastoreo es esencial para evitar la proliferación de árboles y arbustos en las sabanas. El Cardenal Amarillo también puede persistir en tierras privadas con vegetación de Espinal bajo pastoreo de ganado sostenible. La vigilancia y los controles viales frecuentes y efectivos son esenciales para reducir las capturas ilegales.

Keywords

Espinal ecoregiongrazinghabitat useherbivorytrappingEcorregión Espinalpastoreouso de hábitatherbivoríacaptura
Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 33 , 2023 , e26
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acosta, M. (2013) Caza y comercio ilegal de aves silvestres en la provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina. BioScriba, 6: 9–15.Google Scholar
Arendt, W. J. and Vargas-Mora, T. A. (1984) Range expansion of the Shiny Cowbird in the Dominican Republic. J. Field Ornithol. 55: 104–107.Google Scholar
Assis, R. L., Haugaasen, T., Schöngart, J., Montero, J. C., Piedade, M. T. and Wittmann, F. (2015) Patterns of tree diversity and composition in Amazonian floodplain paleo‐várzea forest. J. Veg. Sci. 26: 312–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atencio, M., Reboreda, J. and Mahler, B. (2020) Brood parasitism leads to zero recruitment in the globally endangered Yellow Cardinal Gubernatrix cristata. Bird Conserv. Internatn. 1–7. doi:10.1017/S0959270920000660CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Augustine, D. J. and McNaugthon, S. J. (2004) Regulation of shrub dynamics by native browsing ungulates on East African rangeland. J. Appl. Ecol. 41: 45–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Azpiroz, A. B. (2015) Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) Parasitism records for three globally threatened species from the South American pampas. Wilson J. Ornithol. 127: 746–752.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ba Diao, M. (2020) Livestock production and conservation in and around protected areas: The Project for Integrated Ecosystem Management in Senegal. http://www.fao.org/3/a0532e/A0532e04.htm. Accessed 14 October 2020.Google Scholar
Batista, W. B., Rolhauser, A. G., Biganzoli, F., Burkart, S. E., Goveto, L., Maranta, A., Pignataro, G., Morandeira, N. S. and Rabadán, M. (2014) Las comunidades vegetales de la sabana del Parque Nacional El Palmar (Argentina). Darwiniana, nueva serie 2: 5–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beier, C. and Fontana, C. (2019) Breeding biology of the endangered Yellow Cardinal Gubernatrix cristata in Brazil. Rev. Bras. Ornitol. 27: 44–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beier, C., Repenning, M., Da Silveira Pereira, M., Pereira, A. and Fontana, C. (2017) Cooperative breeding and demography of Yellow Cardinal (Gubernatrix cristata) in Brazil. Rev. Bras. Ornitol. 25: 12–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bellis, L. M. and Muriel, N. (2015) Response of the endemic Long-tailed Meadowlark (Sturnella loyca obscura) to grazing exclusion in herbivore dependent upland grasslands of Argentina. Emu 115: 176–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bibby, C. J., Burgess, N. D., Hill, D. A. and Mustoe, S. (2000) Bird census techniques. Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
BirdLife International (2017) Threatened birds occur in all habitats, but the majority are found in forest. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 14/10/2020Google Scholar
BirdLife International (2021) Species factsheet: Gubernatrix cristata. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 12/10/2021.Google Scholar
Braun-Blanquet, J. (1979) Fitosociologia. bases para el estudio de las comunidades vegetales. Madrid, Spain: Ediciones H. Blume.Google Scholar
Bock, C. E. (1999) Birds and bovines: effects of livestock grazing on birds in the West. Boulder CO: Public Lands Ranching Organization Press.Google Scholar
Calamari, N., Vilella, F., Sica, Y. and Mercuri, P. (2018) Patch and landscape responses of bird abundance to fragmentation in agroecosystems of east-central Argentina. Avian Conserv. Ecol. 13: 3Google Scholar
Campagna, L., Geale, K., Handford, P., Lijtmaer, D. A., Tubaro, P. L. and Lougheed, S. C. (2011) A molecular phylogeny of the Sierra-Finches (Phrygilus, Passeriformes): extreme polyphyly in a group of Andean specialists. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 61: 521–533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chebez, J. C. and Morandeira, N. S. (2005) Parque Nacional El Palmar. Pp.168-170 in Di Giacomo, A. S. ed. Áreas para la importancia para la conservación de las aves en Argentina, sitios prioritarios para la conservación de la biodiversidad, temas de Naturaleza y Conservación 5. Buenos Aires: Aves Argentinas/Asociación Ornitológica del Plata.Google Scholar
Clarke, P. J. (2002) Experiments on tree and shrub establishment in temperate grassy woodlands: seedling survival. Austral Ecol. 27: 606–615.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collar, N. J., Gonzaga, L. P., Krabbe, N., Madroño Nieto, A., Naranjo, L. G., Parker, T. A. and Wege, D. C. (1992) Threatened birds of the Americas: the ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. Cambridge, UK: International Council for Bird Preservation.Google Scholar
Connell, J. H. (1978) Diversity in tropical rain forest and coral reefs. Science. 199: 1302–1310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dardanelli, S. and Bellis, L. M. (2021) Nestedness structure of bird assemblages in a fragmented forest in Central Argentina: the role of selective extinction and colonization processes. Anim. Biodivers. Conserv. 44: 17–29.Google Scholar
Dardanelli, S., Nores, M. L. and Nores, M. (2006) Minimum area requirements of breeding birds in fragmented woodland of Central Argentina. Diver. Distrib. 12: 687–693.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davies, K. F., Melbourne, B. A., James, C. D. and Cunningham, R. B. (2010) Using traits of species to understand responses to land use change: Birds and livestock grazing in the Australian arid zone. Biol. Conserv. 143: 78–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Lima, D. O., Lorini, M. L. and Vieira, M. V. (2018) Conservation of grasslands and savannas: A meta-analysis on mammalian responses to anthropogenic disturbance. J. Nat. Conserv. 45: 72–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Destro, G. F. G., De Marco, P. and Terribile, L. C. (2019) Comparing environmental and socioeconomic drivers of illegal capture of wild birds in Brazil. Environ. Conserv. 47: 46–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Di Bitetti, M. S., Iezzi, M. E., Cruz, P., Varela, D. and De Angelo, C. (2020) Effects of cattle on habitat use and diel activity of large native herbivores in a South American rangeland. J. Nat. Conserv. 125900.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dixon, P. (2003) VEGAN, a package of R functions for community ecology. J. Veg. Sci. 14: 927–930.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Domínguez, M., Mahler, B. and Reboreda, J. C. (2015) Impact of Shiny Cowbird and botfly parasitism on the reproductive success of the globally endangered Yellow Cardinal, Gubernatrix cristata. Bird Conserv. Internatn. 25: 294–305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Domínguez, M., Tiedemann, R., Reboreda, J. C., Segura, L., Tittarelli, F. and Mahler, B. (2017) Genetic structure reveals management units for the Cardenal Amarillo (Gubernatrix cristata), endangered by habitat loss & illegal trapping. Conserv. Genet. 18: 1131–1140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Domínguez, M., Pizzarello, G., Atencio, M., Scardamaglia, R. C. and Mahler, B. (2019) Genetic assignment and monitoring of Yellow Cardinals. J. Wildl. Manag. 83: 1336–1344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Domínguez, M., Lapido, R., Gorrindo, A., Archuby, D., Correa, E., Llanos, F., Reales, F., Piantanida, F., Marateo, G., Meriggi, J., Andreani, L., Encabo, M., Gómez-Vinassa, M.L., Bertini, M., Perello, M., Banchs, R., Cirignoli, S., Verón, S. and Mahler, B. (2020) A citizen science survey discloses the current distribution of the endangered Yellow Cardinal Gubernatrix cristata in Argentina. Bird Conserv. Internatn. doi:10.1017/S0959270920000155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duval, V. S., Benedetti, G. M. and Campo, A. M. (2019) Fisonomía y diversidad del bosque secundario de Prosopis caldenia. Provincia de la Pampa, Argentina. Rev. geogr. Am. Cent. 62: 164–185.Google Scholar
Fourcade, Y., Besnard, A. G., Beslot, E., Hennique, S., Mourgaud, G., Berdin, G. and Secondi, J. (2018) Habitat selection in a dynamic seasonal environment: Vegetation composition drives the choice of the breeding habitat for the community of passerines in floodplain grasslands. Biol. Conserv. 228: 301–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
García, C., Renison, D., Cingolani, A. M. and Fernández-Juricic, E. (2008) Avifaunal changes as a consequence of large-scale livestock exclusion in the mountains of Central Argentina. J. Appl. Ecol. 45: 351–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Girma, Z., Mamo, Y., Mengesha, G., Verma, A. and Asfaw, T. (2017) Seasonal abundance and habitat use of bird species in and around Wondo Genet Forest, south‐central Ethiopia. Ecol. Evol. 7: 3397–3405.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guida-Johnson, B. and Zuleta, G. A. (2013) Land-use land-cover change and ecosystem loss in the Espinal ecoregion, Argentina. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 181: 31–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, A. (2000) Effects of cattle grazing on North American arid ecosystems: a quantitative review. West. N. Am. Nat. 60: 155–164.Google Scholar
Kajtoch, Ł., Żmihorski, M. and Bonczar, Z. (2012) Hazel Grouse occurrence in fragmented forests: habitat quantity and configuration is more important than quality. Eur. J. For. Res. 131: 1783–1795.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lenzi-Grillini, C. R., Viskanic, P. and Mapesa, M. (1996) Effects of 20 years of grazing exclusion in an area of the Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. Afr. J. Ecol. 34: 333–341.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lombardini, K., Bennetts, R. E. and Tourenq, C. (2001) Foraging success and foraging habitat use by cattle egrets and little egrets in the Camargue, France. Condor 103: 38–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
López-Lanús, B., Ibañez, H., Velazco, A. and Bertonatti, C. (2016) Diagnóstico sobre la situación general del Cardenal Amarillo (Gubernatrix cristata) en la provincia de Entre Ríos, Argentina. Not. Faun. 200: 1–16.Google Scholar
Lowther, P. E. (2018) Lists of victims and hosts of the parasitic cowbirds (Molothrus). V.05 Sep 2018. Chicago: Field Museum.Google Scholar
Lundgren, E. J., Ramp, D., Rowan, J., Middleton, O., Schowanek, S. D., Sanisidro, O., Carroll, S. P., Davis, M., Sandom, C. J., Svenning, J. C. and Wallach, A. D. (2020) Introduced herbivores restore Late Pleistocene ecological functions. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 117: 7871–7878.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Macchi, L. and Grau, H. R. (2012) Piospheres in the dry Chaco. Contrasting effects of livestock puestos on forest vegetation and bird communities. J. Arid Environ. 87: 176–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maldonado, F. D., Sione, W. F. and Aceñolaza, P. G. (2012) Mapeo de desmontes en áreas de bosque nativo de la provincia de Entre Ríos, Argentina. Ambiência 8: 523–532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marateo, G., Povedano, H. and Alonso, J. (2009) Inventario de las aves del Parque Nacional El Palmar, Argentina. Cotinga 31: 47–60.Google Scholar
Matteucci, S. D. and Colma, A. (1982) Metodología para el estudio de la vegetación (Vol. 22). Washington, DC: Secretaria General de la Organización de los Estados Americanos.Google Scholar
Menéndez, J. L. and La Rocca, S. M. (2007) Primer inventario nacional de bosques nativos: informe regional Espinal, segunda parte. Inventario de campo de la región Espinal, Distritos Caldén y Ñandubay. Buenos Aires: Secretaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable de la Nación SAyDS.Google Scholar
Milesi, F., López de Casenave, J. and Cueto, V. (2008) Selection of foraging sites by desert granivorous birds: vegetation structure, seed availability, species-specific foraging tactics, and spatial scale. Auk 125: 473–484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morello, J., Matteucci, S. D. and Rodríguez, A. F. S. (2012) Ecorregiones y complejos ecosistémicos argentinos. Buenos Aires: FADU.Google Scholar
Neilly, H. and Schwarzkopf, L. (2019) The impact of cattle grazing regimes on tropical savanna bird assemblages. Austral Ecol. 44: 187–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oksanen, J. (2011) Multivariate analysis of ecological communities in R: vegan tutorial . R package version 1: 1–43.Google Scholar
Olff, H. and Ritchie, M. E. (1998) Effects of herbivores on grassland plant diversity. Trends Ecol. Evol. 13: 261–265.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oyarzabal, M., Clavijo, J., Oakley, L., Biganzoli, F., Tognetti, P., Barberis, I., Maturo, H. M., Aragón, R., Campanello, P. I., Prado, D., Oesterheld, M. and León, R. J. C. (2018) Unidades de vegetación de la Argentina. Ecol. Austral 28: 40–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perez-Carusi, L. C., Beade, M. S. and Bilenca, D. N. (2017) Spatial segregation among pampas deer and exotic ungulates: A comparative analysis at site and landscape scales. J. Mammal. 98: 761–769.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pigot, A. L., Trisos, C. H. and Tobias, J. A. (2016) Functional traits reveal the expansion and packing of ecological niche space underlying an elevational diversity gradient in passerine birds. Proc. Royal Soc. B 283: 20152013.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Post, W., Cruz, A. and McNair, D. B. (1993) The North American invasion pattern of the Shiny Cowbird. J. Field Ornithol. 64: 32–41.Google Scholar
Puechagut, P. B., Politi, N., Ruiz de los Llanos, E., Lizarraga, L., Bianchi, C. L., Bellis, L. M. and Rivera, L. O. (2018) Association between livestock and native mammals in a conservation priority area in the Chaco of Argentina. Mastozool. Neotrop. 25: 407–418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
R Core Team (2017) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing.Google Scholar
Reales, F., Sarquis, J. A., Daradanelli, S. and Lammertink, M. (2019) Range contraction and conservation of the endangered Yellow Cardinal. J. Nat. Conserv. 50: 125708.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reales, F. (2020) Distribución, ecología y conservación del Cardenal Amarillo (Gubernatrix cristata) (Thraupidae, aves). Tesis Doctoral. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba.Google Scholar
Ripple, W. J., Newsome, T. M., Wolf, C., Dirzo, R., Everatt, K. T., Galetti, M., Hayward, M. W., Kerley, G. I. H., Levi, T., Lindsey, P. A., Macdonald, D. W., Malhi, Y., Pintor, L. E., Sandom, C. J., Terborgh, J. and Van Valkenburgh, B. (2015) Collapse of the world’s largest herbivores. Sci. Adv. 1: e1400103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, S. K., Rothstein, S. I., Brittingham, M. C., Petit, L. J., Grzybowski, J. A., Martin, T. E. and Finch, D. M. (1995) Ecology and behavior of cowbirds and their impact on host populations. Pp. 482–460 in Martin, T. E., Finch, D. M., eds. Ecology and management of Neotropical migratory birds. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Sankaran, M., Ratnam, J. and Hanan, N. (2008) Woody cover in African savannas: the role of resources, fire and herbivory. Global Ecol. Biogeogr. 17: 236–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Segura, L. N., Perelló, M., Gress, N. H. and Ontiveros, R. (2019) The lack of males due to illegal trapping is causing polygyny in the globally endangered Yellow Cardinal Gubernatrix cristata. Rev. Bras. Ornitol. 27: 40–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Serafini, P. P., Martins-Ferreira, C., Bencke, G. A., Fontana, C. S., Dias, R. A., Repenning, M., Damiani, R. V., Mauricio, G. N., Gianuca, A. T., Krugel, M. M., Franz, I., Rovedder, C. E., Rupp, A. E., Pereira, M. S., Vizentin-Bugoni, J., Joenck, C. M., Straube, F. C., Reinert, B. L., Bornschein, M. R., Dias, D. and Vieira, B. P. (2013) Plano de Ação Nacional para a Conservação dos Passeriformes Ameaçados dos Campos Sulinos e Espinilho. Brasília, Brazil: Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservaça o da Biodiversidade.Google Scholar
Silva, V. P., Deffaci, A. C., Hartmann, M. T. and Hartmann, P. A. (2017) Birds around the road: effects of a road on a savannah bird community in Southern Brazil Ornitol. Neotrop. 28: 119–128Google Scholar
Verdú, J. R., Moreno, C. E., Sánchez-Rojas, G., Numa, C., Galante, E. and Halffter, G. (2007) Grazing promotes dung beetle diversity in the xeric landscape of a Mexican Biosphere Reserve. Biol. Conserv. 140: 308–317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiens, J. A. (1989) The ecology of bird communities. Vol. 1. Foundations and patterns. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, J., Kissling, W. D. and He, F. (2013) Local forest structure, climate and human disturbance determine regional distribution of boreal bird species richness in Alberta, Canada. J. Biogeogr. 40: 1131–1142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar