INSIGHTS INTO THE HABITS OF THE ELUSIVE NOCTURNAL CURASSOW (NOTHOCRAX URUMUTUM)

Authors

  • Andrés Link Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia Estación de Biodiversidad Tiputini, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3125-249X
  • Sara Alvarez-Solas Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Grupo de Biogeografía y Ecología Espacial (BioGeoE2), Tena, Ecuador
  • John Blake Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA Estación de Biodiversidad Tiputini, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
  • Felipe Campos Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Ecuador
  • Santiago Espinosa Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México. Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador.
  • Pablo Medrano-Vizcaino Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, United Kingdom Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador, Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, Proyecto Paisajes-Vida Silvestre. Quito, Ecuador
  • Diego Mosquera Estación de Biodiversidad Tiputini, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
  • Esteban Payan Department of Biology, University College London, UK Zoological Society of London, UK
  • María Cristina Peñuela Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Grupo de Ecosistemas Tropicales y Cambio Global (EcoTroCG), Tena, Ecuador
  • Julia Salvador Wildlife Conservation Society – Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
  • Leonor Valenzuela Wildlife Conservation Society – Colombia, Cali, Colombia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58843/ornneo.v33i1.1051

Keywords:

Activity Patterns, Cracidae, Crepuscular, Cryptic Behavior, Amazonia

Abstract

Nocturnal curassows (Nothocrax urumutum) are one of the most enigmatic birds from South American rainforests. Their elusive habits and their nocturnal vocal behavior have led to the generalized assumption that they differ from other curassows in their presumable nocturnal habits. Here, we compiled camera trap data from long term projects in the Amazon rainforest and the Andes Cordillera piedmont to describe the temporal activity of Nocturnal Curassows. Based on an overall sampling effort of 68838 camera nights we obtained 274 independent records of their activity. The results of this study evidence that Nothocrax has diurnal habits and resembles in activity patterns to all other cracids more than previously expected. This study highlights the use of novel technologies and collaborative research towards the understanding of the natural history, ecology and behavior of animals with cryptic behaviors such as the Nocturnal Curassows.

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Published

19-05-2022

Issue

Vol. 33 No. 1

Section

Short Communications

License

This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License  (CC BY), that allows others unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction, providing the original author and source are credited.