TY - JOUR
T1 - Habitat selection by the endangered Red-billed Curassow (Crax blumenbachii) in an Atlantic forest remnant
AU - Alves de Amorim, Fernanda
AU - Lopez‐Iborra, German M
AU - Stojanovic, Dejan
AU - Silveira, LuÃs Fábio
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Understanding habitat selection is important for informing conservation management actions. However, many endangered species are data deficient, especially in tropical forests. Wild popula- tions of the endangered Red-billed Curassow are one such data-deficient species. We investi- gated habitat selection by Red-billed Curassows in an important Atlantic forest remnant in EspÃrito Santo state, Brazil. We sampled vegetation plots to test fine-scale habitat associations and used GIS tools to identify landscape-scale variables that may influence curassow habitat use. We modelled the occurrence of Red-billed Curassows to test the contribution of these variables using hierarchical partitioning analysis in R. Abundance of standing dead trees, decaying log and leaf litter depth had a negative effect on the occurrence of Red-billed Curassows. The species preferred tall forests and abundant trees with diameter at breast height of 1130 cm. Our results indicated that the Red-billed Curassow can utilise some secondary forest habitats, and suggest a preference for more open forest habitats that may facilitate terrestrial foraging. This is the first scientific examination of habitat requirements of Red-billed Curassows and our results will aid conservation activities by improving site selection for reintroduction efforts.
AB - Understanding habitat selection is important for informing conservation management actions. However, many endangered species are data deficient, especially in tropical forests. Wild popula- tions of the endangered Red-billed Curassow are one such data-deficient species. We investi- gated habitat selection by Red-billed Curassows in an important Atlantic forest remnant in EspÃrito Santo state, Brazil. We sampled vegetation plots to test fine-scale habitat associations and used GIS tools to identify landscape-scale variables that may influence curassow habitat use. We modelled the occurrence of Red-billed Curassows to test the contribution of these variables using hierarchical partitioning analysis in R. Abundance of standing dead trees, decaying log and leaf litter depth had a negative effect on the occurrence of Red-billed Curassows. The species preferred tall forests and abundant trees with diameter at breast height of 1130 cm. Our results indicated that the Red-billed Curassow can utilise some secondary forest habitats, and suggest a preference for more open forest habitats that may facilitate terrestrial foraging. This is the first scientific examination of habitat requirements of Red-billed Curassows and our results will aid conservation activities by improving site selection for reintroduction efforts.
U2 - 10.1080/01584197.2017.1326010
DO - 10.1080/01584197.2017.1326010
M3 - Article
VL - 117
SP - 316
EP - 324
JO - Emu - Austral Ornithology
JF - Emu - Austral Ornithology
IS - 4
ER -