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Similar regional-scale survival of tropical and southern temperate birds from the New World

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Abstract

The general assumption that the survival patterns of tropical and southern temperate birds are similar lacks empirical data from higher latitudes. Regional comparisons of New World species are rare, and this assumption has been based on data from African studies. Here, we estimate the survival rates of 88 tropical and southern temperate bird populations (69 species) from eight localities in South America to evaluate the hypothesis that the survival of these populations is homogeneous at the regional scale. We estimated survival based on the Cormack-Jolly-Seber model and compared values from different environments. The survival estimates ranged from 0.30 to 0.80 (0.56 ± 0.12). Apparent survival did not differ significantly between low-latitude tropical environments (03°S) and the other sites from high-latitudes (between 22° and 34°S). Despite a predicted positive trend, body size was not significantly related to survival among passerines. On the other hand, phylogenetic relationships explained more than a third of the variation in bird survival. Based on the largest available database on South American bird species, our findings support the hypothesis that bird survival is homogeneous, at the regional scale, along the southern hemisphere. In particular, we reinforce the hypothesis that climatic variation has a limited influence on bird survival in the southern hemisphere.

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Data availability

The dataset supporting the results has been deposited as electronic supplementary material.

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Funding

The Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, CNPq (PQ process number 306.579/2018–9), and the Carlos Chagas Filho Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation, FAPERJ (CNE process number E-26/202.835/2018), Argentine National Council for Scientific and Technical Research, CONICET (PIP-6411), provided financial support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

LFF: conceptualization, formal analysis, writing—original draft; CCOS, RID, DCP and MASA: formal analysis, writing—review and editing; other authors conducted fieldwork and provided editorial advice.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leonardo Fernandes França.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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All applicable institutional and/or national guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Additional information

Communicated by Mathew Samuel Crowther.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (RAR 61 KB)

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Apparent annual survival (Φ), credible interval of survival (CI), and the probability of recapture (p) in 88 populations and 69 bird species from eight localities in South America between the latitudes of 3°S and 34°S. Estimates are derived from a field mark-recapture database.

Locality/Family

Species (synonym)

Mark/recapture

Mass (g)

Survival (Φ)

Recapture (p)

Estimate

- CI

 + CI

Low-latitude tropical environment (HLLE)

 Terra firme forest

  Passerellidae

Arremon taciturnus

449/174

25.5

0.713

0.577

0.861

0.199

  Furnariidae

Automolus paraensesa

114/23

35.7

0.519

0.292

0.877

0.142

  Troglodytidae

Cantorchilus leucotis (Thryothorus leucotis)

68/10

18.3

0.622

0.330

0.967

0.149

  Thamnophilidae

Cercomacroides nigrescens (Cercomacra nigrescens)

155/20

18.5

0.584

0.337

0.921

0.072

  Cardinalidae

Cyanoloxia rothschildii (Cyanocompsa cyanoides)

145/26

24.9

0.714

0.512

0.953

0.165

  Furnariidae

Dendrocincla fuliginosa

190/42

40.7

0.682

0.493

0.947

0.106

  Furnariidae

Dendrocincla merula

167/50

39.9

0.704

0.495

0.946

0.131

  Furnariidae

Dendroplex picus

82/17

37.7

0.501

0.239

0.844

0.243

  Formicariidae

Formicarius analis

62/10

54.6

0.563

0.282

0.965

0.109

  Formicariidae

Formicarius colma

76/18

42.6

0.696

0.452

0.963

0.189

  Thamnophilidae

Formicivora grisea

47/15

11.6

0.563

0.290

0.918

0.186

  Parulidae

Geothlypis aequinoctialis

110/19

13.8

0.296

0.115

0.616

0.260

  Furnariidae

Glyphorynchus spirurus

555/226

16.1

0.572

0.480

0.674

0.266

  Thamnophilidae

Hypocnemis striata

129/25

12.6

0.430

0.253

0.689

0.275

  Thamnophilidae

Hylophylax naevius

57/14

12.4

0.388

0.156

0.718

0.288

  Thamnophilidae

Isleria hauxwelli (Myrmotherula hauxwelli)

158/59

11.3

0.491

0.336

0.679

0.287

  Troglodytidae

Microcerculus marginatus

58/16

18.5

0.521

0.264

0.934

0.200

  Tyrannidae

Mionectes oleagineus

519/68

10.3

0.563

0.391

0.756

0.080

  Onychorhynchidae

Myiobius barbatus

82/27

12.0

0.712

0.494

0.975

0.162

  Thamnophilidae

Myrmelastes rufifacies (Schistocichla rufifacies)

59/11

25.1

0.470

0.198

0.902

0.148

  Thamnophilidae

Myrmoborus leucophrys

147/42

20.9

0.518

0.317

0.805

0.200

  Thamnophilidae

Myrmoborus myotherinus

141/21

17.5

0.469

0.254

0.772

0.150

  Thamnophilidae

Myrmotherula axillaris

218/38

8.8

0.560

0.359

0.823

0.091

  Onychorhynchidae

Onychorhynchus coronatus

145/52

15.1

0.781

0.600

0.965

0.182

  Troglodytidae

Pheugopedius coraya (Thryothorus coraya)

123/23

20.7

0.416

0.208

0.746

0.112

  Thamnophilidae

Phlegopsis nigromaculata

569/99

44.7

0.741

0.580

0.912

0.087

  Pipridae

Pipra fasciicauda

1116/375

15.3

0.803

0.715

0.912

0.164

  Tyrannidae

Platyrinchus coronatus

25/10

9.8

0.431

0.179

0.838

0.324

  Thamnophilidae

Pyriglena leuconota

391/76

33.2

0.680

0.507

0.912

0.139

  Thraupidae

Ramphocelus carbo

401/41

23.9

0.639

0.457

0.882

0.090

  Thamnophilidae

Rhegmatorhina gymnops

103/18

27.7

0.492

0.261

0.825

0.161

  Tityridae

Schiffornis turdina

41/13

28.5

0.608

0.345

0.920

0.193

  Furnariidae

Sclerurus caudacutus

42/10

35.9

0.585

0.356

0.857

0.500

  Thamnophilidae

Thamnomanes caesius

259/46

17.3

0.563

0.355

0.855

0.096

  Turdidae

Turdus albicollis

144/36

48.6

0.770

0.570

0.992

0.169

  Thamnophilidae

Willisornis vidua (Willisornis poecilinotus)

158/42

17.5

0.595

0.384

0.903

0.156

  Furnariidae

Xenops minutus

156/52

11.2

0.630

0.453

0.849

0.253

  Furnariidae

Xiphorhynchus obsoletus

58/15

30.7

0.484

0.236

0.871

0.250

  Furnariidae

Xiphorhynchus spixii

67/17

33.8

0.659

0.422

0.960

0.122

High-latitude tropical environment (HLTE)

 Dense ombrophilous forest—site 1

  Pipridae

Dixiphia pipra (Pseudopipra pipra)

113/44

13.3

0.795

0.658

0.920

0.147

  Tyrannidae

Mionectes oleagineus

68/23

12.3

0.555

0.387

0.760

0.132

 Dense ombrophilous forest—site 2

  Pipridae

Chiroxiphia caudata

107/58

25.1

0.509

0.371

0.661

0.155

  Conopophagidae

Conopophaga melanops

97/59

21.1

0.605

0.466

0.769

0.137

  Furnariidae

Dendrocincla turdina

43/34

34.8

0.785

0.619

0.959

0.193

  Furnariidae

Philydor atricapillus

47/29

20.3

0.357

0.191

0.571

0.208

  Furnariidae

Sclerurus scansor

59/33

36.0

0.549

0.380

0.750

0.147

  Trochilidae

Thalurania glaucopisb

86/37

4.8

0.386

0.233

0.581

0.138

  Thraupidae

Trichothraupis melanops

139/46

24.7

0.635

0.487

0.810

0.083

  Furnariidae

Xiphorhynchus fuscus

64/88

21.1

0.528

0.390

0.691

0.348

 Dense ombrophilous forest—site 3

  Conopophagidae

Conopophaga melanops

80/35

19.7

0.727

0.523

0.961

0.187

  Furnariidae

Dendrocincla turdina

89/47

38.5

0.646

0.481

0.821

0.185

  Pipridae

Chiroxiphia caudata

95/29

24.6

0.800

0.619

0.976

0.128

  Cardinalidae

Habia rubica

58/30

35.2

0.359

0.206

0.569

0.279

  Onychorhynchidae

Myiobius barbatus

47/25

11.7

0.620

0.405

0.875

0.452

  Furnariidae

Philydor atricapillus

58/22

22.4

0.304

0.140

0.545

0.334

  Tyrannidae

Platyrinchus mystaceus

50/37

9.4

0.539

0.347

0.763

0.337

  Thamnophilidae

Pyriglena leucoptera

77/11

29.9

0.457

0.214

0.848

0.145

  Thamnophilidae

Rhopias gularis (Myrmotherula gularis)

34/21

11.2

0.322

0.147

0.589

0.389

  Tityridae

Schiffornis virescens

31/25

28.0

0.632

0.396

0.919

0.253

  Trochilidae

Thalurania glaucopisb

76/25

4.7

0.515

0.304

0.832

0.238

  Thraupidae

Trichothraupis melanops

84/14

23.9

0.445

0.224

0.795

0.174

  Turdidae

Turdus albicollis

82/13

66.9

0.434

0.188

0.798

0.135

  Furnariidae

Xiphorhynchus fuscus

60/40

20.3

0.530

0.345

0.729

0.312

Humid subtropical environment

 Mixed montane ombrophilous forest (MMOF)

  Pipridae

Chiroxiphia caudata

234/37

24.7

0.574

0.457

0.694

0.230

  Parulidae

Myiothlypis leucoblephara (Basileuterus leucoblepharus)

395/84

15.2

0.550

0.458

0.641

0.285

  Tyrannidae

Platyrinchus mystaceus

183/44

9.1

0.630

0.524

0.740

0.181

  Thraupidae

Thlypopsis pyrrhocoma (Pyrrhocoma ruficeps)

439/63

15.4

0.448

0.337

0.540

0.248

  Furnariidae

Sittasomus griseicapillus

178/32

12.6

0.569

0.437

0.698

0.269

  Furnariidae

Syndactyla rufosuperciliata

80/20

24.0

0.666

0.532

0.806

0.264

  Thraupidae

Trichothraupis melanops

189/22

21.2

0.448

0.283

0.592

0.307

  Turdidae

Turdus albicollis

335/31

58.7

0.624

0.503

0.737

0.099

  Passerellidae

Zonotrichia capensis

323/36

21.3

0.407

0.274

0.546

0.236

  Furnariidae

Synallaxis cinerascens

158/19

12.5

0.426

0.256

0.602

0.143

 Restinga forest (RF)

  Tyrannidae

Elaenia obscura

80/28

25.8

0.660

0.434

0.947

0.201

  Parulidae

Geothlypis aequinoctialis

162/42

11.5

0.368

0.217

0.548

0.456

  Passerellidae

Zonotrichia capensis

51/18

20.9

0.639

0.376

0.962

0.223

 Riparian floodplain forest (RFF)

  Parulidae

Myiothlypis leucoblephara (Basileuterus leucoblepharus)

31/09

16.4

0.593

0.317

0.974

0.116

  Parulidae

Geothlypis aequinoctialis

118/23

11.6

0.470

0.261

0.824

0.102

  Turdidae

Turdus rufiventris

117/30

73.1

0.558

0.332

0.869

0.098

Dry temperate environment

 Open woodland

  Furnariidae

Asthenes baeri

101/43

15.8

0.420

0.272

0.615

0.271

  Furnariidae

Cranioleuca pyrrhophia

27/19

11.4

0.607

0.385

0.875

0.259

  Furnariidae

Leptasthenura platensis

41/18

9.1

0.695

0.477

0.948

0.164

  Picidae

Melanerpes cactorum b

34/22

34.9

0.341

0.160

0.626

0.341

  Thraupidae

Microspingus torquatus (Poospiza torquata)

334/44

12.7

0.644

0.466

0.886

0.121

  Furnariidae

Pseudoseisura lophotes

23/11

70.6

0.469

0.222

0.918

0.215

  Thraupidae

Saltatricula multicolor

165/73

22.1

0.545

0.396

0.723

0.353

  Tyrannidae

Stigmatura budytoides

127/78

10.6

0.495

0.372

0.642

0.293

  Passerellidae

Zonotrichia capensis

608/61

21.1

0.631

0.479

0.802

0.138

  1. aAutomolus infuscatus was used as a replacement for Automolus paraenses when obtaining the phylogenetic tree
  2. bNon-passerine birds. Synonymies reported in the phylogenetic tree (Jetz et al. 2012) are spelled within parentheses

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França, L.F., de Oliveira e Silva, C.C., de Pinho, J.B. et al. Similar regional-scale survival of tropical and southern temperate birds from the New World. Oecologia 202, 239–250 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-023-05381-2

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