Oliver Komar

Threat Assessment and Conservation Prioritization of the Herpetofauna of El Salvador

We applied the IUCN Red List method for threat assessment to the amphibians and reptiles of El Salvador, the smallest Central American country. Seventy-six out of 130 species were found to be threatened or endangered at the national level. In general, most threatened taxa were aquatic organisms in lowland habitats or cloud-forest specialists in highland areas. The IUCN method was biased by collecting effort and was unable to classify 25 species that were categorized as ȁ8data deficientȁ9. We used the number and distribution of threatened species and a complementarity analysis to identify departments in El Salvador that require higher priority for conservation action. We applied a method for evaluating inventory completeness to our data set, and used species from reasonably well-surveyed taxonomic groups (Anura and Sauria) to carryout the complementarity analysis. The anurans (frogs) and saurians (lizards) had been inventoried relatively completely in 10 of 14 departments. The department with the most threatened species (35 of 76 threatened amphibians and reptiles) is Santa Ana, where many threatened species occur in pine-oak and cloud forest in Montecristo National Park.

TURQUOISE-BROWED MOTMOT (EUMOMOTA SUPERCILIOSA) FEEDS BY ARTIFICIAL LIGHT

Abstract We report the Turquoise-browed Motmot (Eumomota superciliosa) feeding in the evening on insects attracted to artificial lights. This behavior has been observed in few diurnal bird species, and has not been reported previously for the family Momotidae. Although more than one motmot engaged in this behavior at one site in El Salvador, and feeding success appeared favorable, we have not observed the behavior at other sites in El Salvador, suggesting that the behavior has not spread through the population.

Predation on Birds by a Cuckoo (Cuculidae), Mockingbird (Mimidae), and Saltator (Cardinalidae)

Abstract We report three unusual cases of predation in which birds of insectivorous or omnivorous species preyed upon smaller birds in El Salvador, Central America. A Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) fed on a netted Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea); a Blue-and-white Mockingbird (Melanotis hypoleucus) chased, killed, and carried off a probable juvenile Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis); and a Black-headed Saltator (Saltator atriceps) fed on a netted Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila). Preying upon birds has not been reported previously in any of these species. Evidence suggests that the Squirrel Cuckoo and the Blue-and-white Mockingbird may prey on small birds or other vertebrates with some regularity, while the saltator may have consumed the hummingbird due to non-natural conditions.

Black-vented Oriole Nests Inside a Cabin in El Salvador

Abstract A pair of Black-vented Orioles (Icterus wagleri) successfully fledged young from a nest inside a log cabin in the Montecristo National Park, El Salvador. This is the first breeding record of the species for El Salvador. The nest was hammock-shaped, 18 × 20 cm outside, 6 cm deep inside, and contained four eggs. After the first clutch failed, the pair renested using the same nest, incubating and rearing three young over 34 days.

Breeding of the Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) in Central America

Abstract We report the first nesting record of the Central American population of Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) in the La Montañona pine-oak (Pinus-Quercus) forest of Chalatenango Department, northern El Salvador. The nest was in a cavity in the trunk of a pine (Pinus oocarpa) tree. Most insectivorous birds in this region breed during the rainy season when insects are generally most abundant; however, nesting of the Brown Creeper occurred at the height of the dry season, during January and February.

Prothonotary Warbler Eats Lizard

Abstract We observed a male Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) eating a 3-cm lizard in Louisiana. There are few reports in the literature of wood warblers taking vertebrate prey, and we found no other record for a Prothonotary Warbler doing so.