Grupo de Investigación de Ecología de Comunidades de Desierto (Ecodes). Depto. Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Fac. de Cs. Exactas y Naturales, Univ. de Buenos Aires. Piso 4, Pab. 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
Eduardo T. Mezquida
Grupo de Investigación de Ecología de Comunidades de Desierto (Ecodes). Unidad de Fisiología y Ecofisiología Vegetal, IADIZA. CC 507, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina | Dirección actual: P. Alameda de Osuna 74 1°C, 28042 Madrid, España
Argentina birds electromechanical setup mammals Mendoza nest predators predator identification
How to Cite
Cueto, Víctor R., and Eduardo T. Mezquida. 2001. “An Inexpensive Electromechanical Setup to Identify Egg Predators at Artificial Nests”. El Hornero 16 (2): 71-75. https://doi.org/10.56178/eh.v16i2.897.
We describe an inexpensive electromechanical setup for identifying egg predators by photography at artificial nests. The setup consists of three main components: a trigger mechanism at nest, a mechanism that press the camera shutter, and a system to disconnect the setup. Advantages of this setup are its low cost, the use of a common battery, and that the electric circuit included is easy to assemble. With this setup we identified five species of egg predators (four birds and one mammal) in the central Monte desert, including Upucerthia certhioides, a species not previously observed predating nests. Some precautions to use the setup in the field and to get pictures of good quality are provided.
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