O efeito das vocalizações de Phlegopsis nigromaculata (Aves, Thamnophilidae) na detectabilidade de outras aves seguidoras de correição no Parque Ecológico de Gunma.

Abstract

Army ants are nomadic species when foraging they chase insects that live on the forest floor, making them easy prey for other animals. There are bird species that follow and feed around army ants swarms they can be obligatory, or are less specialized feeding around swarms only when the latter pass by the former territories. We then conducted experiments to check if the sounds emitted by a specialized follower of army ants, Phlegopsis nigromaculata, influences the behavior of other specialized or less specialized army ants followers. This study was conducted in Gunma Ecological Park (GEP) and investigated whether the playback (PB) of Phlegopsis nigromaculata vocalizations could increase the detectability of other bird species at the site, and if the affected species have some relation with foraging around army ants swarms. We recorded sounds in different locations in GEP, first we recorded 5 minutes of environment sounds without emission of PB and then recorded 5 minutes from the same environment with emission of PB. The results indicated that PB significantly increased detectability, where 94% of the species with the highest detectability post-PB attend to a mixed flock and 28% are followers army ants. In scores that correlated the most detected species during the post-PB period with behaviors of following mixed flocks and army ants, the species Glyphorynchus spirurus, Isleria hauxwelli, Pyriglena leuconota, Lanio surinamus, Lepidothrix iris, Veniliornis affinis, and Willisornis vidua obtained the higher scores, all of which attend mixed flock and 71% attend army ants swarm. These results suggest that the increased detectability of those species in the post-PB is related to the foraging around swarms. The results indicate that 18 species can be influenced by the vocalizations Phlegopsis nigromaculata because this can have a significant role in foraging behavior of other insectivorous birds, which follow army ants or attending mixed flocks.