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Daily patterns of activity of passerine birds in a Magellanic sub-Antarctic forest at Omora Park (55°S), Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, Chile

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Abstract

Ecosystems in the sub-Antarctic region can be subjected to extreme weather conditions year-round. Little data exist that show any relationship between climatic variables and activity patterns of passerine birds, despite the fact that weather patterns can have a dramatic influence on the foraging strategies of these birds in different seasons. Passerine birds must balance the risk of starvation and the risk of predation in accordance with variation in environmental variables. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship of season, habitat type and weather patterns with the daily activity patterns of three diurnal passerine bird species from different trophic guilds. Unlike most low-latitude passerine species, the three passerine bird species in Omora Park on Navarino Island do not show strict adherence to a bimodal activity pattern; instead, these birds show a variety of activity patterns throughout the year that differ by trophic guild and habitat type. These modifications in activity patterns may be an adaptation to minimize the risk of predation and starvation in the face of temperature-dependent food availability.

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Acknowledgments

Our sincere thanks to Ximena Arango, Steven McGehee, Cristian Celis, Rodrigo Molina, and the many students and volunteers of Omora Park for their collaboration in the bird captures. This work was supported by the Long Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB) and funded by IEB and PBCT 29800 postdoctoral fellowship, CONICYT and Universidad de Magallanes, to the first author. This work is part of the FPA project “Fortalecimiento del Observatorio Omora de Aves Subantárticas en la Reserva de Biósfera Cabo de Hornos,” supported by Ministerio del Medio Ambiente, Chile.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Estación de Campo Parque Etnobotánico Omora, Universidad de Magallanes, Puerto Williams, Chile

    Ronnie Reyes-Arriagada, Jaime E. Jiménez & Ricardo Rozzi

  2. Dirección de Extensión, Universidad Austral de Chile, Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile

    Ronnie Reyes-Arriagada

  3. Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program, University of North Texas (UNT), Denton, TX, USA

    Jaime E. Jiménez & Ricardo Rozzi

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, UNT, Denton, TX, 76203, USA

    Jaime E. Jiménez

  5. Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies, UNT, Denton, TX, 76302, USA

    Ricardo Rozzi

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  1. Ronnie Reyes-Arriagada
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Correspondence to Ronnie Reyes-Arriagada.

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Reyes-Arriagada, R., Jiménez, J.E. & Rozzi, R. Daily patterns of activity of passerine birds in a Magellanic sub-Antarctic forest at Omora Park (55°S), Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, Chile. Polar Biol 38, 401–411 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1596-5

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