Breeding biology of the Ash-colored Cuckoo (Coccycua cinerea) in native forests of central-eastern Argentina

Abstract

The Ash-colored Cuckoo (Coccycua cinerea) is a bird with a wide distribution in the Neotropics. Its inconspicuous behavior and the difficulty to find its nests has resulted in a scarce knowledge about its reproductive biology. We studied a reproductive population in central-eastern Argentina that used native talares forests as nesting areas. In this study we provide new data on the characteristics of their nests, the sites used to build them, morphometric measurements of eggs and chicks and we report, for the first time, data of breeding success for the species. We monitored six nesting attempts during eight consecutive breeding seasons. All nests were built on native trees. Mean clutch size was ~3 eggs with an incubation period of ~14 days and a nestling period of ~15 days. On average, 2 chicks left the nest successfully. Thirty-three percent of the nests were successful and the rest failed due to predation events. We highlight the importance of making this type of data available to contribute to the necessary knowledge of the reproductive strategies of Neotropical birds, mainly those that inhabit the southern cone of South America.