Ecologia Del Todus Mexicanus ( Coraciiformes Todidae) En El Bosque De Susua, Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico

Resumen del Libro

The objetive of this investigation was to increase the knowledge of one of the endemic birds of Puerto Rico: the Puerto Rican Tody (Todus mexicanus). I studied the abundance and the foraging behavior of this bird and the abundance of insects in some areas of the Susua Forest in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico. Four trails were sampled between October 2002 and September of 2003. Using the line transect count method, I determined an abundance of 4.58 todies per lineal kilometer for the Susua Forest. The Puerto Rican Tody used the Sally ( leaf feeding ) maneuver 66.4% of the time, more frequently than other foraging maneuvers when looking for food. The preferred foraging height of the Puerto Rican Tody was between ground level and three meters, with 55.7% of foraging events occurring in this stratum, and the principal alimentary substratum was leaves on the trees. The main orders of insects sampled in the Susua Forest were the Diptera and Coleoptera, and these were also more oftenly captured and consumed by todys. Rainfall and the abundance of insects in the Susua Forest were not correlated and neither was correlated with the abundance of Puerto Rican Tody in Susua Forest.