FOURTH REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR ECUADORIAN RECORDS IN ORNITHOLOGY (CERO) AND A REVISION OF UNDOCUMENTED AND ERRONEOUS RECORDS IN LITERATURE

We present new distributional records of birds in Ecuador submitted to the Committee for Ecuadorian Records in Ornithology (CERO) from September 2015 through July 2017. This report includes four species new to Ecuador (Plegadis ridgwayi, Cathartes burrovianus, Malacoptila mystacalis, Vireo gilvus), two species new to Galapagos (Calidris pugnax, Larosterna inca), five species with first documented country records (Fregata minor, Syrigma sibilatrix, Calidris pugnax, Larus belcheri, Sternula antillarum), remarkable range extensions for eight species (Anas bahamensis, Fregata sp., Jabiru mycteria, Phimosus infuscatus, Caracara cheriway, Larus dominicanus, Chloroceryle aenea, Sturnella militaris), new records of eight rare species (Anhima cornuta, Mustelirallus albicollis, Larus argentatus, Larosterna inca, Myrmoborus lugubris, Machetornis rixosa, Progne elegans, Conirostrum bicolor) and new records of Nothoprocta curvirostris and Tyrannus tyrannus. We present the first Ecuadorian records of three subspecies (Tolmomyias sulphurescens insignis, Myiarchus swainsoni phaenotus, Oxyura jamaicensis andina, although the taxonomic validity of the latter is debated). Further we discuss the subspecific identity of Petrochelidon pyrrhonota in Ecuador. Finally, we invalidate previous records of 43 species for mainland Ecuador and 6 species for Galapagos, as published in different sources, and reject a remotesensing record of Cypseloides niger. CERO revises and updates the country bird list, which currently stands at 1690 species (1632 confirmed and documented; 58 undocumented).

Temperature and breeding success for Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) nesting on man-made structures: ecological traps?

When an environmental cue that previously signaled a suitable habitat leads an animal to use an unsuitable site, individual fitness can decrease, ultimately leading to population declines. Such “ecological traps” may be particularly likely for birds that use human infrastructure for nesting. Here we tested whether high nest temperatures and the physical properties of barns are associated with lower breeding success for a declining population of Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot, 1817)). We monitored nests under barn eaves below wood and metal roofs to determine nestling survival and mass, and recorded temperature under barn eaves, to relate ambient temperature to eave temperature. We found that eave temperature increased with ambient temperatures and was higher at high temperatures and lower at cool temperatures under metal roofs than wood roofs. Nestling survival was lower during periods with higher ambient temperatures, and both survival and mass were lower under metal roofs. Our findings suggest that barn eaves, especially those with metal roofs, may be an ecological trap for Cliff Swallows, where a seemingly suitable nesting site early in the breeding season results in low breeding success. Furthermore, warming temperatures may lead to ecological traps for other bird species, particularly those nesting in man-made structures.

Feather mites of the genus Trouessartia Canestrini (Acariformes: Trouessartiidae) from swallows (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae) in Canada

Seven species of the feather mite genus Trouessartia Canestrini, 1899 (Astigmata: Trouessartiidae) have been recorded on swallows and martins (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae) in Manitoba (Canada). Of them, five are described as new species: Trouessartia ampulicaudata sp. n. and T. petrochelidon sp. n. from the American cliff swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot), T. bochkovi sp. n. from the tree swallow Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot), and T. cryptocaudata sp. n. and T. progne sp. n. from the purple martin Progne subis (Linnaeus). A new species group stelgidopteryx, incorporating Trouessartia species living on hirundinids of the genera Progne, Tachycineta and Stelgidopteryx, is established. Renewed diagnoses of four Trouessartia species groups (appendiculata, crucifera, minutipes, and stelgidopteryx) restricted to hirundinids and a key to species recorded so far and potentially expected on swallows of North America are proposed. Host associations of Trouessartia species with swallows in North America are briefly discussed.

INFLUENCE OF AGE AND DISPERSAL ON REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF CLIFF SWALLOWS (PETROCHELIDON PYRRHONATA)

We examined age-related reproductive success and the short-term consequences of dispersal by known-aged Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) breeding in Texas from 1975–86. Clutch size increased with age in females, and males and females ≥2 yrs old fledged more young than yearlings. Sixteen percent (76/463) of birds dispersed between breeding seasons and we observed female-biased dispersal. Birds that dispersed to a different colony at age 2 produced 0.91 fewer fledglings post-dispersal compared to the previous year, and birds that dispersed at age 3 produced 0.34 more fledglings post-dispersal compared to the previous year; females experienced greater benefits than males when they dispersed at age 3 yrs. Younger dispersers incur short-term costs which might have important consequences for lifetime reproductive success for a short-lived passerine. However, potential population-level consequences from dispersal costs is likely minimal given the low rate of dispersal we observed.

RARE BIRDS IN ECUADOR: THIRD REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR ECUADORIAN RECORDS IN ORNITHOLOGY (CERO)

Presentamos nuevos registros de distribución de aves del Ecuador que han sido presentados al Comité Ecuatoriano de Registros Ornitológicos (CERO) entre abril 2014 y agosto 2015. Incluimos reportes de seis especies nuevas para Ecuador (Anas crecca, Thalassarche bulleri, Puffinus puffinus, Morus sp., Numenius americanus y Elaenia strepera), una especie nueva para el Ecuador continental (Fregetta grallaria), cuatro especies con primera documentación en Ecuador (Calidris alpina, Larus argentatus, Stercorarius longicaudus, Tyrannus dominicensis), extensiones considerables de distribución de 14 especies (Podilymbus podiceps, Pterodroma phaeopygia, Charadrius semipalmatus, C. collaris, Bartramia longicauda, Calidris alba, Limnodromus scolopaceus, Phalaropus fulicarius, Stercorarius longicaudus, Sternula superciliaris, Chlidonias niger, Galbula dea, Elaenia spectabilis y Geothlypis philadelphia) y nuevos reportes de 12 especies raras (Aythya affinis, Sula leucogaster, Busarellus nigricollis, Stercorarius chilensis, Chordeiles minor, Psittacara wagleri, Philydor fuscipenne, Muscisaxicola fluviatilis, Pyroderus scutatus, Passerina caerulea, Vermivora chrysoptera y Setophaga castanea) y el primer reporte moderno de Oreopholus ruficollis. Además, presentamos el primer registro en Ecuador de Lurocalis semitorquatus semitorquatus y el segundo registro de la subespecie Petrochelidon pyrrhonota melanogaster. Finalmente, invalidamos los registros previos de Picumnus castelnau, especie que no habita en Ecuador. CERO revisa y actualiza el listado nacional de aves, que en la actualidad alcanza las 1678 especies (1626 confirmadas y documentadas, y 52 no documentadas).