Habitat selection by the endangered Red-billed Curassow (Crax blumenbachii) in an Atlantic forest remnant
Alves, Fernanda | López-Iborra, Germán M. | Stojanovic, Dejan | Silveira, Luís Fábio
Understanding habitat selection is important for informing conservation management actions. However, many endangered species are data deficient, especially in tropical forests. Wild populations of the endangered Red-billed Curassow are one such data-deficient species. We investigated habitat selection by Red-billed Curassows in an important Atlantic forest remnant in Espírito Santo state, Brazil. We sampled vegetation plots to test fine-scale habitat associations and used GIS tools to identify landscape-scale variables that may influence curassow habitat use. We modelled the occurrence of Red-billed Curassows to test the contribution of these variables using hierarchical partitioning analysis in R. Abundance of standing dead trees, decaying log and leaf litter depth had a negative effect on the occurrence of Red-billed Curassows. The species preferred tall forests and abundant trees with diameter at breast height of 11–30 cm. Our results indicated that the Red-billed Curassow can utilise some secondary forest habitats, and suggest a preference for more open forest habitats that may facilitate terrestrial foraging. This is the first scientific examination of habitat requirements of Red-billed Curassows and our results will aid conservation activities by improving site selection for reintroduction efforts.
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