Abstract
Meyer’s Parrot Poicephalus meyeri has the widest distributional range of any African parrot. There are six subspecies distributed throughout the African subtropics, all of which manage to breed successfully during the winter dry season when few other cavity-nesting birds are actively nesting. In 2004, we recorded Meyer’s Parrots feeding on four cryptic arthropod larvae incubating inside fruits and pods in their seasonal diet. All of these were previously unknown in the diet of African parrots. Nesting females and chicks were fed regurgitate almost exclusively comprising these arthropod larvae for the first 10 weeks after nest occupation. In 2007, we demonstrated that Meyer’s Parrots actively search for these protein-rich arthropod larvae and synchronized their breeding effort within our study area to coincide their hatching period with the period of highest relative abundance of these larvae, resulting in a breeding synchrony index value of 79.3 % between females in the population. In 2009, we recorded the consumption of similar arthropod larvae parasitizing similar tree species in northern Zambia and two locations in Tanzania, thus confirming this behaviour throughout their distributional range. Similar behaviour is expected in their closest congeners, the Brown-headed Parrot P. cryptoxanthus and Rüppell’s Parrot P. rueppellii. Poor land management practices (e.g. deforestation and frequent fires) most likely influence the abundance of these cryptic arthropod larvae and thus the breeding success of Meyer’s Parrot at population level.
Zusammenfassung
Zugang zu versteckten Arthropodenlarven unterstützt die atypische Winterbrutsaison des Goldbugpapageis ( Poicephalus meyeri ) in den afrikanischen Subtropen
Der Goldbugpapagei Poicephalus meyeri weist das größte Verbreitungsgebiet aller afrikanischen Papageien auf. Es gibt sechs über die gesamten afrikanischen Subtropen verbreitete Unterarten, die alle erfolgreich in der winterlichen Trockenzeit brüten, wenn nur wenige andere Höhlenbrüter nisten. Im Jahr 2004 haben wir beobachtet, dass Goldbugpapageien vier Arten versteckter Arthropodenlarven fraßen, die in Früchten und Schoten überwinterten. All diese waren zuvor nicht als Nahrung afrikanischer Papageien bekannt gewesen. In den ersten zehn Wochen nach Beziehen des Nests wurden brütende Weibchen und Küken mit hervorgewürgter Nahrung gefüttert, die fast ausschließlich aus diesen Arthropodenlarven bestand. Im Jahr 2007 zeigten wir, dass Goldbugpapageien aktiv nach diesen proteinreichen Arthropodenlarven suchen und das Schlüpfen der Nestlinge mit der Periode des stärksten Auftretens dieser Larven im Untersuchungsgebiet synchronisierten, was in einem Brutsynchronitätsindex von 79,3 % für die Weibchen der Population resultierte. Im Jahr 2009 zeichneten wir den Verzehr ähnlicher Arthropodenlarven, die ähnliche Baumarten befielen, im Norden Sambias und an zwei Stellen in Tansania auf und bestätigten dieses Verhalten somit im gesamten Verbreitungsgebiet des Goldbugpapageis. Wir erwarten ähnliches Verhalten bei den nächsten Gattungsverwandten, dem Braunkopfpapagei (P. cryptoxanthus) und dem Rüppellpapagei (P. rueppellii). Ungünstige Bodenbearbeitungsmethoden (z.B. Abholzung und häufige Brandrodung) beeinflussen höchstwahrscheinlich die Häufigkeit dieser versteckten Arthropodenlarven und somit den Bruterfolg des Goldbugpapageis auf Populationsebene.
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Acknowledgments
The project was predominantly sponsored by the Research Centre for African Parrot Conservation and British Ecological Society. Map Ives, Kai Collins and all the staff of Wilderness Safaris Botswana are thanked for their valuable support throughout the project. The support of Rutledge and Vikki Boyes was keystone to the completion of the Meyer’s Parrot Project. The Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks was instrumental in facilitating this project. Prof. Phil Hockey has been a constant source of support.
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Boyes, R.S., Perrin, M.R. Access to cryptic arthropod larvae supports the atypical winter breeding seasonality of Meyer’s Parrot (Poicephalus meyeri) throughout the African subtropics. J Ornithol 154, 849–861 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-0952-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-0952-5