Ecological partitioning of three Columbidae species in Northern Paraná, Southern Brazil

Abstract

Three species of Columbidae (Columbina talpacoti, Columbina picui and Zenaida auriculata) were studied in Londrina, Northern Paraná (Brazil), with the aim of analyzing which foraging and habitat factors contribute to their ecological partitioning. The study was conducted over one year in three different areas (urban, rural and pasture). We made monthly observations of the foraging strategies used by the species and the habitats they selected. Possible variations in availability of resources over the twelve months of the study did not influence the type of foraging used by the three species. Significant differences between the foraging strategies used by the species were observed in relation to the foraging site, specifically the foraging substrate. Soil, grass and paving were the foraging substrates that were most used by all three species, indicating that they are ground-foraging birds. Differences in the time spent in the foraging areas were significant between species; Z. auriculata remained in the foraging area for the longest time, often foraging in a group, suggesting a possible adaptation of this species in order to obtain a greater amount of resources. Adapting to anthropological environments without continuous forest cover could be one of factors that the most influential in the selection of habitat by the three species of Columbidae. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) showed differences between the proportions of herbaceous and gramineae plants, paving, plantations and shrubs in the habitats selected by each species. We also concluded that differences in the time spent in the foraging areas and between foraging substrates are factors contributing to the ecological separation of the three species and therefore allowing their coexistence in the region.