Monteverde : Ecology and Conservation of a Tropical Cloud Forest

Table 6.3. Use of nest material and nest location by birds in Monteverde (based

on Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Inhabitants of cloud forest (Zones 3-4) that use moss

Violet Sabrewing

Fiery-throated Hummingbird

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird

Purple-throated Mountain-gem

Green-crowned Brilliant

Red-faced Spinetail

Golden-bellied Flycatcher

Yellowish Flycatcher

Gray-breasted Wood-Wren

Black-faced Solitaire

Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush

Black-and-yellow Silky-flycatcher

Wrenthrush

Golden-browed Chlorophonia

Silver-throated Tanager

Spangle-cheeked Tanager

Black-thighed Grosbeak

Inhabitants of pastures (Zones 1-3) that use grass

Spotted Barbtail

Tropical Kingbird

Plain Wren

House Wren

Gray-crowned Yellowthroat

Blue-black Grassquit

Yellow-faced Grassquit

White-naped Brush-Finch

Stripe-headed Sparrow

Rufous-collared Sparrow

Eastern Meadowlark

Monteverde species that nest in tree cavities

Barred Forest-Falcon

Collared Forest-Falcon

Bat Falcon

Crimson-fronted Parakeet

Orange-fronted Parakeet

Orange-chinned Parakeet

Brown-hooded Parrot

White-crowned Parrot

White-fronted Parrot

Barn Owl

Spectacled Owl

Mottled Owl

Orange-bellied Trogon

Slaty-tailed Trogon

Lattice-tailed Trogon

Resplendent Quetzal

Red-headed Barbet

Prong-billed Barbet

Emerald Toucanet

Collared Aracari

Keel-billed Toucan

Black-cheeked Woodpecker

Hoffman's Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Smoky-brown Woodpecker

Rufous-winged Woodpecker

Golden-olive Woodpecker

Lineated Woodpecker

Pale-billed Woodpecker

Buffy Tuftedcheek

Plain Xenops

Plain-brown Woodcreeper

Ruddy Woodcreeper

Olivaceous Woodcreeper

Long-tailed Woodcreeper

Wedge-billed Woodcreeper

Strong-billed Woodcreeper

Northern Barred-Woodcreeper

Black-banded Woodcreeper

Spotted Woodcreeper

Streak-headed Woodcreeper

Spot-crowned Woodcreeper

Black-headed Antthrush

Masked Tityra

Blue-and-white Swallow

House Wren

takes longer, which exposes young to nest predators
over a longer period of time (Clark and Wilson 1981).
Also, larger broods require more frequent feeding vis-
its by parents, giving predators more opportunity to
find the nest by following the movements of the adults.
The diet of nestling Yellow-throated Euphonias is
mostly fruit, which, due to its lack of protein, can
cause nestlings to grow slowly and be exposed to nest
predators over a longer period. Paradoxically, data
from 52 euphonia nests in Monteverde showed a
slightly higher nesting success (35% of all nests

fledged at least one young; Sargent 1993) than aver-

age for other neotropical passerines that nest outside

of holes and cavities (29%; Skutch 1985). Yellow-

throated Euphonias visit the nest infrequently and in

pairs, with one member of the pair stopping at the nest

and the other swooping past the nest, perhaps distract-

ing predators' attention from the nest itself. This

behavior, combined with the construction of an

"awning" over the nest that hides it from view, may

compensate for the longer nesting periods required

for this species (Sargent 1993).

192 Birds