Aves que nidifican en cavidades: evaluando el uso de especies arbóreas nativas y exóticas en la ecorregión del Espinal

Alejandro A. Schaaf; Miguel F. Cura; Martin R. De la Peña

doi:10.56178/eh.v41i1.1528

Articles Published 20 February 2026 https://doi.org/10.56178/eh.v41i1.1528

Cavity-nesting birds: evaluating the use of native and exotic tree species in the Espinal ecoregion

agroecosystems Argentina dry forests nesting reproductive biology

Alejandro A. Schaaf Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA), Universidad Nacional de Jujuy – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina

Miguel F. Cura Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA), Universidad Nacional de Jujuy – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina

Martin R. De la Peña 3 de febrero 1870, 3080 Esperanza, Santa Fe, Argentina

Abstract

This study assessed the use of trees for nesting by cavity-nesting birds in the Espinal ecoregion, Argentina. We analyzed data from 264 nests of tree cavity-users (114 woodpecker nests, and 150 from secondary cavity-nesting birds) found over a 49-year period (1970–2019) in a fragmented landscape. The main results showed that this group of birds makes greater nesting use of native trees, such as Chañar (Geoffroea decorticans) and Algarrobo (Prosopis alba), both live and standing dead, although the use of exotic trees was also recorded. Furthermore, secondary cavity-nesting birds showed a proportionally higher use of cavities generated by decomposition. These findings highlight the importance of retaining native, live, and standing dead trees in the landscape as key elements for the conservation of avifauna in fragmented landscapes.

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References

Aitken KE, Martin K (2008) Resource selection plasticity and community responses to experimental reduction of a critical resource. Ecology 89(4):971-980. https://doi.org/10.1890/07-0711.1
Atkinson PW, Fuller RJ, Vickery JA, Conway GJ, Tallowin JRB, Smith REN, Haysom A, Ings TC, Asteraki EJ, Brown VK (2005) Influence of agricultural management, sward structure and food resources on grassland field use by birds in lowland England. Journal of Applied Ecology 42(5):932-942. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01070.x
Bonaparte EB, Ibarra JT, Cockle KL (2020) Conserving nest trees used by cavity-nesting birds from endangered primary Atlantic Forest to open farmland: increased relevance of excavated cavities in large dead trees on farms. Forest Ecology and Managment 475:118440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118440
Brawn JD, Balda RP (1988) Population biology of cavity nesters in northern Arizona: do nest sites limit breeding densities? The Condor: Ornithological Applications 90(1):61-71. https://doi.org/10.2307/1368434
Cockle K, Martin K, Wiebe K (2011) Selection of nest trees by cavity-nesting birds in the Neotropical Atlantic Forest. Biotropica 43(2):228-236. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2010.00661.x
Cornelius C, Cockle K, Politi N, Berkunsky I, Sandoval L, Ojeda V, et al. (2008) Cavity-nesting birds in neotropical forests: cavities as a potentially limiting resource. Ornitología Neotropical 19:253-268
De la Peña MR, Pensiero JF (2003) Contribución de la flora en los hábitos alimentarios de las aves en un bosque del centro de la provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina. Ornitologia Neotropical 14(4):499-513. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/ornitologia_neotropical
Di Sallo FG, Cockle KL (2022) The role of body size in nest-site selection by secondary cavity-nesting birds in a subtropical Chaco Forest. Ibis 164(1):168-187. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.13011
Di Sallo FG, Cockle KL (2025) Wood hardness drives nest-site selection in woodpeckers of the humid Chaco. Ornithology 142(1):ukae055. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukae055
Dunning J (2007) CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses, Second Edition (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL). [ULR: http://www.crcnetbase.com/isbn/9781420064445]
Exner E, D’Angelo CH, Pensiero JF (2004) Vegetación y flora de la reserva universitaria de la Escuela Granja de Esperanza (Santa Fe, Argentina). FAVE: Sección Ciencias Agrarias 3(1):53-76. https://doi.org/10.14409/fa.v3i1/2.1305
Ferger SW, Schleuning M, Hemp A, Howell KM, Böhning-Gaese K (2014) Food resources and vegetation structure mediate climatic effects on species richness of birds. Global Ecology and Biogeography 23(5):541-549. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12151
Ibarra JT, Martin K (2015) Biotic homogenization: Loss of avian functional richness and habitat specialists in disturbed Andean temperate forests. Biological Conservation 192:418-427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.11.008
Jauregui A, Gonzalez E, Segura LN (2019) Nesting biology of the Narrow-billed Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes angustirostris) in a southern temperate forest of central-east Argentina. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 54(2):114-120. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2019.1590968
Jauregui A, Rodríguez SA, García LNG, Gonzalez E, Segura LN (2021) Wood density and tree size used as cues to locate and excavate cavities in two Colaptes woodpeckers inhabiting a threatened southern temperate forest of Argentina. Forest Ecology and Management 502:119723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119723
Lovino MA, Müller GV, Sgroi LC (2020) ¿Cómo ha cambiado la precipitación en la provincia de Santa Fe? RIA. Revista de Investigaciones Agropecuarias 46(2):226-239
Manning AD, Lindenmayer DB (2009) Paddock trees, parrots and agricultural production: An urgent need for large-scale, long-term restoration in south-eastern Australia. Ecological Management & Restoration 10(2):126-135. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-8903.2009.00473.x
Marzluff JM, Millspaugh JJ, Hurvitz P, Handcock MS (2004) Relating resources to a probabilistic measure of space use: forest fragments and Steller’s jays. Ecology 85(5):1411-1427. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3450181
Maya-Elizarrarás E, Renton K, De la Mora-Hernández JA, Maya-Elizarrarás LM (2025) A tropical paradise for all? Nest-site selection shifts by an endemic Neotropical woodpecker associated with human settlements. Ornithological Applications 127(2):duaf007. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duaf007
Nanni AS, Piquer Rodríguez M, Rodriguez MD, Núñez Regueiro MM, Periago ME, Aguiar S, et al. (2020) Presiones sobre la conservación asociadas al uso de la tierra en las ecorregiones terrestres de la Argentina. Ecología Austral 30:304-320. https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.20.30.2.0.1056
Newton I (1994) The role of nest sites in limiting the numbers of hole-nesting birds: a review. Biological Conservation 70(3):265-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3207(94)90172-4
Ossi F, Scartezzini G, Dal Farra S, Bjerge K, Hoye T, Cagnacci F (2022) Wildlife response to human functional disturbance: a case study during the Anthropause. Hystrix 33:31
Renton K, Salinas-Melgoza A, De Labra-Hernandez MA, De la Parra-Martínez SM (2015) Resource requirements of parrots: nest site selectivity and dietary plasticity of Psittaciformes. Journal of Ornithology 156(Suppl 1):73-90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-015-1255-9
Schaaf AA, Ruggera RA, Tallei E, Vivanco CG, Rivera L, Politi N (2020) Identification of tree groups used by secondary cavity-nesting birds to simplify forest management in subtropical forests. Journal of Forestry Research 31(4):1417-1424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-019-00918-9
Schaaf AA, Gomez D, Tallei E, Vivanco CG, Ruggera RA (2021) Responses of functional traits in cavity-nesting birds to logging in subtropical and temperate forests of the Americas. Scientific Reports 11(1):24309. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03756-0
van der Hoek Y, Gaona GV, Martin K (2017) The diversity, distribution and conservation status of the tree-cavity-nesting birds of the world. Diversity and Distributions 23(10):1120-1131. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12601
Zapponi L, Minari E, Longo L, Toni I, Mason F, Campanaro A (2014) The habitat-trees experiment: using exotic tree species as new microhabitats for the native fauna. iForest-Biogeosciences and Forestry 8(4):464-470. https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor1281-007

How to cite

Alejandro A. Schaaf, Miguel F. Cura, Martin R. De la Peña (2026). Cavity-nesting birds: evaluating the use of native and exotic tree species in the Espinal ecoregion. El Hornero, Vol. 41 No. 1 (2026), 11-18. https://doi.org/10.56178/eh.v41i1.1528

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[1] Aitken KE, Martin K (2008) Resource selection plasticity and community responses to experimental reduction of a critical resource. Ecology 89(4):971-980. https://doi.org/10.1890/07-0711.1

[2] Atkinson PW, Fuller RJ, Vickery JA, Conway GJ, Tallowin JRB, Smith REN, Haysom A, Ings TC, Asteraki EJ, Brown VK (2005) Influence of agricultural management, sward structure and food resources on grassland field use by birds in lowland England. Journal of Applied Ecology 42(5):932-942. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01070.x

[3] Bonaparte EB, Ibarra JT, Cockle KL (2020) Conserving nest trees used by cavity-nesting birds from endangered primary Atlantic Forest to open farmland: increased relevance of excavated cavities in large dead trees on farms. Forest Ecology and Managment 475:118440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118440

[4] Brawn JD, Balda RP (1988) Population biology of cavity nesters in northern Arizona: do nest sites limit breeding densities? The Condor: Ornithological Applications 90(1):61-71. https://doi.org/10.2307/1368434

[5] Cockle K, Martin K, Wiebe K (2011) Selection of nest trees by cavity-nesting birds in the Neotropical Atlantic Forest. Biotropica 43(2):228-236. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2010.00661.x

[6] Cornelius C, Cockle K, Politi N, Berkunsky I, Sandoval L, Ojeda V, et al. (2008) Cavity-nesting birds in neotropical forests: cavities as a potentially limiting resource. Ornitología Neotropical 19:253-268

[7] De la Peña MR, Pensiero JF (2003) Contribución de la flora en los hábitos alimentarios de las aves en un bosque del centro de la provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina. Ornitologia Neotropical 14(4):499-513. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/ornitologia_neotropical

[8] Di Sallo FG, Cockle KL (2022) The role of body size in nest-site selection by secondary cavity-nesting birds in a subtropical Chaco Forest. Ibis 164(1):168-187. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.13011

[9] Di Sallo FG, Cockle KL (2025) Wood hardness drives nest-site selection in woodpeckers of the humid Chaco. Ornithology 142(1):ukae055. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukae055

[10] Dunning J (2007) CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses, Second Edition (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL). [ULR: http://www.crcnetbase.com/isbn/9781420064445]

[11] Exner E, D’Angelo CH, Pensiero JF (2004) Vegetación y flora de la reserva universitaria de la Escuela Granja de Esperanza (Santa Fe, Argentina). FAVE: Sección Ciencias Agrarias 3(1):53-76. https://doi.org/10.14409/fa.v3i1/2.1305

[12] Ferger SW, Schleuning M, Hemp A, Howell KM, Böhning-Gaese K (2014) Food resources and vegetation structure mediate climatic effects on species richness of birds. Global Ecology and Biogeography 23(5):541-549. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12151

[13] Ibarra JT, Martin K (2015) Biotic homogenization: Loss of avian functional richness and habitat specialists in disturbed Andean temperate forests. Biological Conservation 192:418-427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.11.008

[14] Jauregui A, Gonzalez E, Segura LN (2019) Nesting biology of the Narrow-billed Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes angustirostris) in a southern temperate forest of central-east Argentina. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 54(2):114-120. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2019.1590968

[15] Jauregui A, Rodríguez SA, García LNG, Gonzalez E, Segura LN (2021) Wood density and tree size used as cues to locate and excavate cavities in two Colaptes woodpeckers inhabiting a threatened southern temperate forest of Argentina. Forest Ecology and Management 502:119723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119723

[16] Lovino MA, Müller GV, Sgroi LC (2020) ¿Cómo ha cambiado la precipitación en la provincia de Santa Fe? RIA. Revista de Investigaciones Agropecuarias 46(2):226-239

[17] Manning AD, Lindenmayer DB (2009) Paddock trees, parrots and agricultural production: An urgent need for large-scale, long-term restoration in south-eastern Australia. Ecological Management & Restoration 10(2):126-135. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-8903.2009.00473.x

[18] Marzluff JM, Millspaugh JJ, Hurvitz P, Handcock MS (2004) Relating resources to a probabilistic measure of space use: forest fragments and Steller’s jays. Ecology 85(5):1411-1427. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3450181

[19] Maya-Elizarrarás E, Renton K, De la Mora-Hernández JA, Maya-Elizarrarás LM (2025) A tropical paradise for all? Nest-site selection shifts by an endemic Neotropical woodpecker associated with human settlements. Ornithological Applications 127(2):duaf007. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duaf007

[20] Nanni AS, Piquer Rodríguez M, Rodriguez MD, Núñez Regueiro MM, Periago ME, Aguiar S, et al. (2020) Presiones sobre la conservación asociadas al uso de la tierra en las ecorregiones terrestres de la Argentina. Ecología Austral 30:304-320. https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.20.30.2.0.1056

[21] Newton I (1994) The role of nest sites in limiting the numbers of hole-nesting birds: a review. Biological Conservation 70(3):265-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3207(94)90172-4

[22] Ossi F, Scartezzini G, Dal Farra S, Bjerge K, Hoye T, Cagnacci F (2022) Wildlife response to human functional disturbance: a case study during the Anthropause. Hystrix 33:31

[23] Renton K, Salinas-Melgoza A, De Labra-Hernandez MA, De la Parra-Martínez SM (2015) Resource requirements of parrots: nest site selectivity and dietary plasticity of Psittaciformes. Journal of Ornithology 156(Suppl 1):73-90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-015-1255-9

[24] Schaaf AA, Ruggera RA, Tallei E, Vivanco CG, Rivera L, Politi N (2020) Identification of tree groups used by secondary cavity-nesting birds to simplify forest management in subtropical forests. Journal of Forestry Research 31(4):1417-1424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-019-00918-9

[25] Schaaf AA, Gomez D, Tallei E, Vivanco CG, Ruggera RA (2021) Responses of functional traits in cavity-nesting birds to logging in subtropical and temperate forests of the Americas. Scientific Reports 11(1):24309. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03756-0

[26] van der Hoek Y, Gaona GV, Martin K (2017) The diversity, distribution and conservation status of the tree-cavity-nesting birds of the world. Diversity and Distributions 23(10):1120-1131. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12601

[27] Zapponi L, Minari E, Longo L, Toni I, Mason F, Campanaro A (2014) The habitat-trees experiment: using exotic tree species as new microhabitats for the native fauna. iForest-Biogeosciences and Forestry 8(4):464-470. https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor1281-007