UTILIZATION OF NEST BOXES BY VERTEBRATES IN THE CURIAU PROTECTION AREA, MACAPÁ, AMAPÁ

• Autor(a) principal: Naiff, Rafael Homobono
• Data de Publicação: 2011
• Outros Autores: Campos, Carlos Eduardo Costa, Araújo, Andréa Soares
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Biota Amazônia
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.unifap.br/index.php/biota/article/view/135
• topic: Nest boxes; conservation; vertebrates; Caixas ninho, conservação, vertebrados

Several species of animals found in tropical forests are dependent on natural cavities for nesting or shelter. The reduction of these cavities may limit the survival of these species, since population dynamics and reproductive health can be influenced by these factors. To compensate for this reduction, nest boxes can serve as a substitute for natural cavities. Aiming to conduct a study on the use of nest boxes by vertebrates, we installed 50 nesting boxes for wood in trees to 3 m above the ground in the habitats of upland forest, floodplain forest and cerrado of the Curiau Protection Area, municipality of Macapa. The nest boxes were inspected every two weeks during the period September 2005 to September 2006. Of the 50 nest boxes installed, 16 were used for breeding purposes by Brotogeris versicolurus, Aratinga aurea and Troglodytes musculus. The most representative families were Psittacidae (N=8) and Turdidae (N=3). The nest boxes were occupied as a shelter for amphibians, Hypsiboas raniceps (N=1), H. multifasciatus (N=3) and Trachycephalus venulosus (N=7), reptiles, Boa constrictor (N=1) and Thecadactylus rapicauda (N=1) and mammals, Marmosa murina (N=2), Didelphis marsupialis (N=2) and Molossus molossus (N=4). Several factors such as habitat characteristics and size of nest boxes may explain the absence of certain vertebrate species that use cavities with dimensions greater than those used in this study.