ASSESSMENT OF STOMACH CONTENTS OF SOME AMAZONIAN BIRDS

Abstract

Studies on avian diet provide important information about biology and ecological relationships of species, for instance, predation and competition. Despite the importance, studies about trophic ecology in the Neotropical region are still scarce, especially in the Amazonian region. The Brazilian Amazon hosts a high diversity of birds, with about 1300 resident species. However, trophic ecology of the regional avifauna is still poorly studied. This paper aims to describe the composition of the diet of some Amazonian bird species. Bird specimens were collected in the Aripuanã municipality, northern Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The analysis of the stomach contents of the collected birds was the method used to assess diets of birds. We analysed the stomach contents of 59 birds of 40 species. A total of 573 food items were identified and could be assigned to 16 different classes. Hymenoptera was the most abundant class. Hymenoptera and Coleoptera classes were the most frequent. Our results provide information on the diet of endemic Amazonian species, of which there is a lack of information in the literature. These facts are therefore important for future studies on the biology and ecology of these birds.