The passerine superfamily Certhioidea lacks a complete phylogeny despite decades of recognition as a clade and extensive systematic work within all its constituent families. Here, we inferred a near-complete species-level phylogeny of Certhioidea from a molecular supermatrix, including the first comprehensive sampling of the wrens (Troglodytidae), and used this phylogeny to infer its biogeographic and diversification histories. We also inferred an expanded phylogeny including nearly 100 putative phylospecies previously documented in the literature, and we found that including this diversity had notable impacts on the inferred evolutionary history of Certhioidea. This phylospecies-level tree documented a few instances of species paraphyly, some previously described in the literature and some novel. We found that Certhioidea originated largely in Eurasia and dispersed into North America five times in the last 20 million years, including at the origin of the "New World certhioids," wrens and gnatcatchers, a clade herein named Orthourae. After this initial dispersal event, both wrens and gnatcatchers diversified extensively across the hemisphere, with both lineages repeatedly crossing between continents. However, we detected no notable impact of the formation of the Isthmus of Panama on the frequency of dispersal events between North and South America. The inclusion of phylospecies altered this biogeographic inference in some portions of the tree but overall was largely consistent. With species-level sampling, we found that diversification rates within Certhioidea were largely constant through time with a detectable deceleration toward the present. By contrast, phylospecies-level sampling recovered a different diversification history with a significant rate increase at the crown node of Orthourae after dispersing into the Americas and increased speciation rates particularly within the genera Polioptila and Henicorhina. This largely resolved phylogeny for Certhioidea has yielded important insights into the evolutionary history of this group and provides a framework for future comparative work on this fascinating clade. center dot Wrens are one of the most diverse songbird groups in the Americas, but we currently lack a complete understanding of their evolutionary history in relation to their relatives: the gnatcatchers, nuthatches, tree creepers, and Wallcreeper.center dot We addressed this gap in knowledge by combining existing and new sequence data to estimate a near-complete phylogenetic tree for the wrens and their allies that is largely consistent with previous studies, but not well resolved for a subgroup of the wrens.center dot This tree informed us that this group originated in Eurasia and has dispersed several times to Africa and North America in the last 20 million years.center dot By including nearly 100 phylospecies, we demonstrated that the potential underestimation of the diversity in this group may alter our understanding of this group's evolutionary history across space and time. La superfamilia de aves paseriformes Certhioidea carece de una filogenia completa, a pesar de decadas de reconocimiento como un clado y de extenso trabajo sistematico dentro de todas sus familias constituyentes. Aqui, inferimos una filogenia casi completa a nivel de especie de Certhioidea a partir de una supermatriz molecular, incluyendo el primer muestreo completo de Troglodytidae, y utilizamos esta filogenia para inferir sus historias biogeograficas y de diversificacion. Tambien inferimos una filogenia expandida que incluye cerca de 100 filoespecies putativas anteriormente documentadas en la literatura, y encontramos que incluir esta diversidad tuvo impactos notables en la historia evolutiva inferida de Certhioidea. Este arbol a nivel de filoespecies documento algunos casos de parafilia de especies, algunos previamente descritos en la literatura y otros novedosos. Encontramos que Certhioidea se origino principalmente en Eurasia y se disperso en America del Norte cinco veces en los ultimos 20 millones de anos, incluyendo en el origen a los "certhioides del Nuevo Mundo," trogloditidos y atrapamoscas, un clado llamado Orthourae en este estudio. Despues de este evento inicial de dispersion, tanto los trogloditidos como los atrapamoscas se diversificaron ampliamente en el hemisferio, con ambos linajes cruzando repetidamente entre continentes. Sin embargo, no detectamos un impacto notable de la formacion del Istmo de Panama en la frecuencia de eventos de dispersion entre America del Norte y del Sur. La inclusion de filoespecies altero esta inferencia biogeografica en algunas partes del arbol, pero en general fue en gran medida consistente. Con el muestreo a nivel de especie, encontramos que las tasas de diversificacion dentro de Certhioidea fueron en gran medida constantes a lo largo del tiempo, con una desaceleracion detectable hacia el presente. En contraste, el muestreo a nivel de filoespecie recupero una historia de diversificacion diferente, con un aumento significativo en la tasa en el nodo de la corona de Orthourae despues de dispersarse en las Americas, y tasas de especiacion aumentadas especialmente en los generos Polioptila y Henicorhina. Esta filogenia, en gran medida resuelta, para Certhioidea, ha proporcionado perspectivas importantes sobre la historia evolutiva de este grupo y brinda un marco para futuros trabajos comparativos en este fascinante clado.

Lay Summary center dot The House Wren (Troglodytes) complex consists of at least 5 distinct evolutionary groups distributed from Canada to southern South America. center dot Morphological variation led taxonomists to name over 25 subspecies. center dot We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; 349 individuals) and a genome-wide survey of single nucleotide polymorphisms (RADseq; 184 individuals) to evaluate evolutionary patterns and determine their relationship to current taxonomy. center dot The mtDNA data showed considerable differentiation, especially in island forms T. sissonii (Isla Socorro), T. a. beani (Isla Cozumel), and T. tanneri (Isla Clarion), and T. martinicensis, the latter of which includes several clades that were not monophyletic. center dot MtDNA suggested that eastern and western samples of T. aedon were not monophyletic, whereas they were in the RADseq analyses; the cause of the discordance is unclear. center dot We suggest that the RADseq data provide the most appropriate basis for classification and understanding House Wren evolution, and they show a high degree of phylogeographic differentiation and support for these taxonomic groups: eastern and western T. aedon, T. sissonii, T. tanneri, T. beani, and T. a. musculus. We explored the evolutionary radiation in the House Wren complex (Troglodytes aedon and allies), the New World's most widely distributed passerine species. The complex has been the source of ongoing taxonomic debate. To evaluate phenotypic variation in the House Wren complex, we collected 81,182 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from restriction site associated loci (RADseq) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from samples representing the taxonomic and geographic diversity of the complex. Both datasets reveal deep phylogeographic structuring, with several topological discrepancies. The trees highlight the evolutionary distinctiveness of eastern and western T. aedon, which were sister taxa in the SNP tree and paraphyletic on the mtDNA tree. The RADseq data reveal a distinct T. a. brunneicollis group, although STRUCTURE plots suggest admixture between western T. aedon and northern Mexican samples of T. a. brunneicollis. MtDNA data show a paraphyletic arrangement of T. a. musculus on the tree, whereas the SNP tree portrays them as monophyletic. Island taxa are distinct in both datasets, including T. a. beani (Isla Cozumel), which appears derived from T. a. musculus in eastern Mexico, and T. sissonii (Isla Socorro) and T. tanneri (Isla Clarion) although the 2 datasets disagree on their overall phylogenetic placement. Although we had only mtDNA data for T. a. martinicensis from the Lesser Antilles, we found at least 4 distinct and paraphyletic taxa from Trinidad, Granada, St. Vincent islands, and Dominica. The House Wren complex showed strong differentiation in mtDNA and RADseq datasets, with conflicting patterns likely arising from some combination of sex-biased dispersal, incomplete lineage sorting, or selection on mtDNA. The most glaring discrepancies between these 2 datasets, such as the paraphyly of eastern and western North American House Wrens in the mtDNA tree, present excellent opportunities for follow-up studies on evolutionary mechanisms that underpin phylogeographic patterns.

The white-crowned parrot Pionus senilis (von Spix, 1824) is distributed throughout Middle America, inhabiting the Gulf of Mexico coastal area from Tamaulipas (Mexico) to northern Panama. We used mitochondrial data (COI, ND2 and ND4) from 55 specimens to infer phylogenetic relationships, and analyzed the phylogeographic structure, genetic diversity, divergence periods, and historical demography to explore phylogeographic patterns. We found three divergent lineages: two geographically separated by the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and the third, in Costa Rica by the Nicaragua Depression. The analysis of molecular variance and statistical analyses were consistent with genetically distinct populations. The Central American lineage diverged 1.33 million years ago, whereas the other two lines branched off 1.19 million years ago. This phylogenetic pattern has been reported in other species of Middle American birds.

Given the interest in the conservation of the Mesoamerican scarlet macaw (Ara macao cyanoptera), the Xcaret Park formed an initial reproductive population about 30 years ago, which has progressively grown to a considerable population in captivity. In this work, we focus on the evaluation of the genetic diversity of the captive population, taking two groups into account: its founding (49) and the current breeding individuals (166). The genetic analysis consisted of genotyping six nuclear microsatellite loci that are characterized by their high variability. Tests for all loci revealed a Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in four loci of the founders and in no loci of the breeding groups. The results showed that the genetic variation in the Xcaret population was relatively high (founders He = 0.715 SE = 0.074, breeding pairs He = 0.763 SE = 0.050), with an average polymorphism of 7.5 (4–10) alleles per locus in founders and 8.3 (4–14) in breeding pairs. No significant differences in the evaluated genetic diversity indexes were found between both groups. This indicates that the genetic variability in Xcaret has been maintained, probably due to the high number of pairs and the reproductive management strategy. Bayesian analysis revealed five different genetic lineages present in different proportions in the founders and in the breeding pairs, but no population structure was observed between founders and breeding individuals. The analyzed captive individuals showed levels of genetic diversity comparable to reported values from Ara macao wild populations. These data indicate that the captive population has maintained a similar genetic diversity as the metapopulation in the Mayan Forest and is an important resource for reintroduction projects, some of which began more than five years ago and are still underway.

Existe poca información sobre la dieta del quetzal mesoamericano (Pharomachrus mocinno) en el límite más septentrional de su distribución. Reportamos un par de eventos recientes de depredación de lagartijas del género Abronia por el quetzal mesoamericano en Chiapas, México. El 12 de julio de 2020, observamos durante 10 mins un quetzal macho adulto depredando a una lagartija del género Abronia en la Reserva Comunitaria de Tzama cun pümy en las Sierras del Norte de Chiapas. Además, el 3 de mayo de 2016 fue fotografiado un quetzal macho con un dragoncito de Smith (Abronia smithi) en El Triunfo en la Sierra Madre de Chiapas. Nuestros reportes, con base en evidencia fotográfica y datos de campo de interacciones específicas depredador-presa, representan formalmente las primeras del consumo de pequeños vertebrados terrestres por el quetzal para México.

Tropical owls are one of the most threatened groups of birds. Studying the association between landscape features and owl assemblages is challenging due to the logistical difficulties of nocturnal fieldwork. We analyzed the association of landscape composition and spatial configuration of forest cover with the composition of the owl assemblages in a tropical rainforest in southeastern Mexico. During the 2014 reproductive season (April to June), we estimated owl abundance through auditory detection and playbacks at 60 survey points distributed in 12 landscapes (625 ha each) within a gradient of forest cover. We found that the owl community comprised six out of the 10 expected resident species. The landscape unit with 41% forest cover contained the most diverse assemblage. The owl species most susceptible to local extinction were specialists of interior areas of old-growth forest. The abundances of the Middle American Screech-Owl (Megascops guatemalae), Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), and Black-and-white Owl (Ciccaba nigrolineata) were positively associated with the proportion of forest cover as well as with the average size of the patches, but negatively associated with environmental temperature. The abundances of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) were positively related to the amount of urban area in the landscape. The only species recorded along the entire gradient was the Mottled Owl (Ciccaba virgata), a species that is a generalist in habitat and diet; its abundance was positively related to the proportion of forest cover and the amount of water surface (lakes and rivers) in the landscape. Four resident species were not recorded: Crested Owl (Lophostrix cristata), Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata), Striped Owl (Pseudoscops clamator), and Central American Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps).

Los nidos artificiales son una herramienta de gran potencial para recuperar poblaciones silvestres, pero han tenido respuesta variable por parte de los psitácidos. En 2014, se inició la reintroducción de la guacamaya roja, una especie en peligro de extinción, en Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, México. Actualmente cuenta con 120 guacamayas libres que forman una nueva población silvestre. En el presente estudio exploramos la colocación de nidos artificiales como sitios de anidación para esta población reintroducida. Colocamos 17 cajas-nido de diferentes materiales, cubiertas con diversos aditivos para evitar la competencia con abejas, éstas las monitoreamos durante un total de 1496 horas en 11 meses de muestreo. Seis cajas nido tuvieron presencia constante de guacamayas, dos de ellas contenían largos trozos de viruta desprendidos con su pico, y plumas pectorales pequeñas, y otra tuvo la puesta de un huevo de guacamaya, acompañada también de plumas pectorales y timoneras. Dos de las cajas no fueron accesibles a las guacamayas por la invasión y establecimiento de colmenas de Apis mellifera, y otra fue visitada por un depredador (Potos flavus). Las cajas-nido visitadas por guacamayas se encontraban instaladas en árboles de las especies Ficus insípida y Sapium lateriflorum a una altura promedio de 20 m, con una vista periférica libre del 71.7% en los nidos ocupados. El aditivo empleado para ahuyentar abejas y el material de la caja-nido no mostraron diferencias marcadas en relación con su ocupación, aunque hay indicios de que la visibilidad periférica, la conectividad de la caja-nido y la altura en el árbol pueden ser factores para la visitación de las cajas-nido por la guacamaya roja, debido a la posible ventaja de poder vigilar el acceso de depredadores potenciales al nido, las pruebas no fueron significativas.

Objetivo: En la región de las Altas Montañas de Veracruz no existen estudios formales que sistematicen la riqueza total de especies de aves, a pesar de que en ella se ubican Áreas de Importancia para la Conservación de las Aves y Áreas Naturales Protegidas (federales y estatales); en la región se cuenta con una red de monitoreo comunitario de aves y los autores recientemente han originado diversas publicaciones y materiales para la difusión de la avifauna de la región. El objetivo principal es dar a conocer la riqueza ornitológica de la región, un panorama de su situación y su problemática, así como las actividades que se están realizando para impulsar su conocimiento y conservación. Diseño/metodología/aproximación: Se llevó a cabo una revisión bibliográfica, observaciones y registros auditivos de aves in situ siguiendo la técnica de búsqueda intensiva de Ralph et al., en los nueve tipos de vegetación presentes en la región, así como también se revisó la base de datos de CONABIO-AVER-AVES y la Colección Nacional de Aves de la UNAM. Resultados: Se obtuvo una riqueza de 514 especies, de las cuales, el 79% fueron especies registradas in situ y el 21% de otras fuentes; 50 especies presentan algún estatus de endemismo, 14 muestran ampliación en su distribución, así como también se reportan ocho diferentes problemáticas que afectan a las aves. El 65.2% de las especies registradas se consideran residentes y el 34.8% muestran algún estatus de migración. Del total de especies, 119 se encuentran en alguna lista de especies en riesgo. Limitaciones del estudio/implicaciones: El no contar con registros in situ de 12 de los municipios debido a la poca relación con las autoridades y la falta de presupuesto. Conclusiones: La riqueza ornitológica de la región de las Altas Montañas abarca el 71.6% de las especies registradas para el estado de Veracruz. Los resultados indican que se debe ampliar el esfuerzo de monitoreo en 12 de 57 municipios de la región, donde no se tienen registros de datos ornitológicos, es decir, siguen inexplorados desde el punto de visto ornitológico. Por otra parte, tomando en cuenta esta gran riqueza de aves, la región tiene un alto potencial para el aviturismo, dado el amplio gradiente altitudinal que presenta, uno de los más amplios, no solo de México, sino de Norte y Centroamérica.

The tyrant‐flycatchers (Tyrannidae) are the largest family of birds in the New World. Although their phylogenetic relationships have been deeply studied based on phenotypic and genetic characters, several systematic uncertainties still exist. In particular, the affinities within the South American genus Ramphotrigon and its close relationship with the Mexican‐endemic Deltarhynchus flammulatus remain unresolved. Here we performed a taxonomic assessment of this intriguing relationship including, for the first time, representatives of all three Ramphotrigon species and the monotypic Deltarhynchus. We carried out phylogenetic analyses based on three mitochondrial markers and one autosomal nuclear intron, and complemented the genetic evidence with the study of morphological and plumage coloration differentiation, in order to provide a more in‐depth reassessment of the Ramphotrigon–Deltarhynchus relationship in general and the genus Ramphotrigon in particular. Genetic data showed that Ramphotrigon is paraphyletic as currently defined, with R. fuscicauda and R. ruficauda being more closely related to D. flammulatus than to R. megacephalum. This paraphyletic relationship was recovered with maximum support based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Ramphotrigon megacephalum evidenced a deep genetic divergence from its two congeners and D. flammulatus, comparable to that between the first one and other tyrannids. Ramphotrigon megacephalum was also significantly different from D. flammulatus, R. fuscicauda and R. ruficauda in external morphology and plumage coloration. On the other hand, D. flammulatus, R. fuscicauda and R. ruficauda showed almost no differences in the morphological variables analyzed. In this context, we believe that a taxonomic reorganization of this group is necessary. One possibility would be to transfer D. flammulatus to the genus Ramphotrigon and to assign R. megacephalum to a new genus with at least two species. Lastly, we propose a biogeographic model for the evolutionary history of Ramphotrigon and Deltarhynchus in South and Middle America over the past 12 million years.

ABSTRACT After five years of the scarlet macaw's return to the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, México, and intense awareness campaigns with the local population, the scarlet macaw is recognized as an incentive for ecotourism activities in the region. Tourism service providers, especially those that assist tourists as guides, and less those who provide services in the nearest city, are aware of the reintroduction efforts. All agree that the scarlet macaw presence can be a trigger for this economic activity in the near future. There are also signs of recovery of the species in the cultural symbolism of Veracruz.

The Great Curassow (Crax rubra) is a Neotropical bird with a wide distribution; it is classified under different threat categories and is listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN. The Official Mexican Standard, the NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, indicates that the Great Curassow is a threatened species, and the subspecies Crax rubra griscomi, which is restricted to the island of Cozumel, is classified as critically endangered. Habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting, overexploitation, and illegal trade are among the main factors that have placed the bird at an endangered status. The objective of the present study was to determine the genetic structure and variation of the species within the Mexican populations of Crax rubra by using three mitochondrial markers, and one nuclear marker (COI, ND2, Cyt b, and MUSK). We used 47 samples obtained by noninvasive collection (feathers) including the two different color phases of the female plumage: dark brown and barred (rare in Mexico). Gene flow between the remaining populations is recent and extensive, even between the continental and the island population (C. r. griscomi). The results indicate that the subspecies C. r. rubra and C. r. griscomi do not present a marked genetic differentiation because the second exhibits an exclusive haplotype and a shared haplotype. With this study, we provide the first genetic-geographic approximation of the curassow in Mexico, where a gradual geographic differentiation is observed between the western and eastern populations of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and we provide a baseline for future studies. Finally, the information obtained indicates that important genetic diversity persists in the Mexican populations of the Great Curassow and that sufficient conservation within the ecosystems of these subspecies can be obtained by protecting them from overexploitation and by conserving and restoring their habitat.

We present arguments against the recognition of Amazona gomezgarzai Silva et al., 2017 as a valid species. This putative new species was stated to have been discovered in Becanchén town in the central Yucatan Peninsula by a veterinarian, who presented two live individuals to the authors for description. This description has numerous weaknesses, as follows: 1) the Yucatan Peninsula avifauna is well-known, having been extensively explored by collectors and other ornithologists; 2) the authors were never in the relevant field area, nor did they verify that the two individuals obtained for the description came from a natural population; 3) our field trip to the type locality and distribution area failed to verify the existence of the putative new species there; instead, inhabitants of these localities denied that such a person was there and denied having given anyone the birds, nor did they recognize that there were parrots matching the "new" species in the area; 4) the description was prepared without proper voucher specimens; 5) comparisons in existing museum collections were highly inadequate; 6) the characters on which the description is based fail to support that it represents a valid taxon, instead strongly supporting an hypothesis of hybrid origin, which was untested by nuclear DNA markers; and 7) no collecting permits were mentioned in the paper. Although earlier reviewers pointed out weaknesses of the original manuscript, the authors failed to rigorously address these questions and the paper was nevertheless published.

The Socorro parakeet (Psittacara holochlorus brevipes), endemic to Socorro Island has long been treated as a subspecies by several authorities while others considered it to be a full a species based on different types of evidence. We reviewed the phylogenetic placement of the Socorro parakeet using molecular techniques adding newly derived information from several fresh and museum specimens to available sequences in GenBank. We obtained revised phylogenies from NADH dehydrogenase 2 (ND2) and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial genes. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis recovered the phylogeny of Psittacara. This clade has strong support for both genes and taxa within the clade show reciprocal monophyly. Based on this phylogenetic placement and geographical isolation, we recommend recognizing the Socorro parakeet as a distinct species (Psittacara brevipes). Psittacara h. rubritorquis should be treated as a distinct species as well. This taxonomic arrangement also will draw more attention to this parakeet from the conservation community considering the restricted distribution and small population size of the Socorro parakeet.

Identifying the genetic basis of phenotypic variation and its relationship with the environment is key to understanding how local adaptations evolve. Such patterns are especially interesting among populations distributed across habitat gradients, where genetic structure can be driven by isolation by distance (IBD) and/or isolation by environment (IBE). Here, we used variation in similar to 1,600 high-quality SNPs derived from paired-end sequencing of double-digest restriction site-associated DNA (ddRAD-Seq) to test hypotheses related to IBD and IBE in the Yucatan jay (Cyanocorax yucatanicus), a tropical bird endemic to the Yucatan Peninsula. This peninsula is characterized by a precipitation and vegetation gradient-from dry to evergreen tropical forests-that is associated with morphological variation in this species. We found a moderate level of nucleotide diversity (pi = .008) and little evidence for genetic differentiation among vegetation types. Analyses of neutral and putatively adaptive SNPs (identified by complementary genome-scan approaches) indicate that IBD is the most reliable explanation to account for frequency distribution of the former, while IBE has to be invoked to explain those of the later. These results suggest that selective factors acting along a vegetation gradient can promote local adaptation in the presence of gene flow in a vagile, nonmigratory and geographically restricted species. The putative candidate SNPs identified here are located within or linked to a variety of genes that represent ideal targets for future genomic surveys.

Más del 26% de las especies de aves que habitan en México está declinando. Los ornitólogos han propuesto diversas acciones para conservar algunas de ellas; sin embargo, se han hecho pocos esfuerzos por difundirlas. En este escrito, tomando en cuenta las nueve pláticas presentadas en un simposio científico realizado en 2015, resumimos la información sobre los esfuerzos de conservación de aves que se están llevando a cabo en el país. Dividimos los estudios en tres categorías: los que analizan cómo se hace la conservación en México, los que hacen conservación práctica y los que constituyen investigación ecológica básica tendiente a la conservación de dichas especies. Concluimos que los esfuerzos de conservación de aves en el país son insuficientes y que se necesitan realizar más acciones para evitar la pérdida de la diversidad de aves en México.

RESUMEN Analizamos la presencia y abundancia de palomas tropicales residentes en la Reserva de la Biosfera Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico durante las epocas reproductivas de 2010 y 2011. Se emplearon distintos metodos de conteo para maximizar el registro del mayor numero de especies y superar las dificultades del terreno y la vegetacion. Muestreamos principalmente a traves de transectos y puntos de conteo en bosque tropical perennifolio, bosque mesofilo de montana, bosque de pino‐encino y areas agropecuarias, y registramos 512 individuos de 12 de las 17 especies reportadas historicamente. Las especies registradas en el presente fueron: Patagioenas cayennensis , P. speciosa , P. flavirostris , P. nigrirostris, Columbina inca , C. talpacoti , Claravis pretiosa , Geotrygon montana , Leptotila verreauxi , L. plumbeiceps , Zentrygon carrikeri (endemica) y Zenaida asiatica. La mayor riqueza se observo en el bosque tropical perennifolio, en donde la especie mas abundante fue L. verreauxi . La abundancia vario significativamente entre tipos de vegetacion para L. verreauxi , L. plumbeiceps y Z. carrikeri , posiblemente debido a los diferentes niveles de tolerancia a la perturbacion . El bosque mesofilo de montana fue el habitat utilizado en mayor proporcion a lo esperado para la mayoria de las especies examinadas como: P. flavirostris , C. pretiosa , L. verreauxi , L. plumbeiceps y Z. carrikeri . Las preferencias de habitat mas amplias correspondieron a P. flavirostris , C. pretiosa y L. verreauxi . Tres especies fueron exclusivas a un tipo de vegetacion ( P. cayennensis y P. nigrirostris en bosque tropical perennifolio; P. speciosa en bosque mesofilo de montana). El volcan San Martin Pajapan, una de las areas nucleo de la Reserva de la Biosfera fue muestreada por primera vez, y registramos a L. verreauxi , L. plumbeiceps , al igual que a una importante poblacion de Z. carrikeri , especie endemica cuyas poblaciones conocidas estan limitadas a otras tres areas montanosas de la region. Las poblaciones de palomas que habitan en interior de bosque se encuentran ubicadas en fragmentos de bosque primario aislados, por lo que deben establecerse corredores para evitar el aislamiento de las poblaciones remanentes de especies de palomas en riesgo. ABSTRACT ∙ Ecology and status of pigeons and doves (Columbidae) in Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Veracruz, Mexico We analyzed the presence and abundance of tropical resident pigeons and doves (Columbidae) in Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Veracruz, Mexico, during the breeding seasons of 2010 and 2011. We used different survey methods to maximize the detection of different species and overcome terrain and vegetation limitations. We surveyed the area mostly through transects and point counts in evergreen tropical forest, cloud forest, pine‐oak forest, and agricultural areas, including the Reserve core areas, recording 512 individuals of 12 out of 17 columbid species reported historically for the area. We were able to confirm Patagioenas cayennensis , P. speciosa , P. flavirostris , P. nigrirostris , Columbina inca , C. talpacoti , Claravis pretiosa , Geotrygon montana , Leptotila verreauxi , L. plumbeiceps , Zentrygon carrikeri (endemic), and Zenaida asiatica . The tropical evergreen forest is the vegetation type with the highest species richness, and the most abundant species was L. verreauxi . Abundance varied significantly among vegetation types for L. verreauxi , L. plumbeiceps , and Zentrygon carrikeri , possibly due to differences in their tolerance to disturbance. Cloud forest stood out as the most important habitat as it was used more than expected by species such as P. flavirostris , C. pretiosa , L. verreauxi , L. plumbeiceps , and Z. carrikeri . The species with the broadest habitat preferences were P. flavirostris , C. pretiosa , and L. verreauxi . Three species were exclusive to a single vegetation type ( P. cayennensis and P. nigrirostris to evergreen tropical forest; P. speciosa to cloud forest). The volcan San Martin Pajapan, one of the Bio‐ sphere Reserve core areas was surveyed for the first time, and we recorded L. verreauxi , L. plumbeiceps , as well as an important population of Z. carrikeri , the latter endemic species being previously only known from three other Mexican mountain ranges. The populations of doves and pigeons inhabiting the forest interior are mostly located in isolated primary forest fragments, therefore corridors should be established to avoid the isolation of the remaining endangered dove populations.

We analyzed the presence and abundance of tropical resident pigeons and doves (Columbidae) in Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Veracruz, Mexico, during the breeding seasons of 2010 and 2011. We used different survey methods to maximize the detection of different species and overcome terrain and vegetation limitations. We surveyed the area mostly through transects and point counts in evergreen tropical forest, cloud forest, pine-oak forest, and agricultural areas, including the Reserve core areas, recording 512 individuals of 12 out of 17 columbid species reported historically for the area. We were able to confirm Patagioenas cayennensis, P. speciosa, P. flavirostris, P. nigrirostris, Columbina inca, C. talpacoti, Claravis pretiosa, Geotrygon montana, Leptotila verreauxi, L. plumbeiceps, Zentrygon carrikeri (endemic), and Zenaida asiatica. The tropical evergreen forest is the vegetation type with the highest species richness, and the most abundant species was L. verreauxi. Abundance varied significantly among vegetation types for L. verreauxi, L. plumbeiceps, and Zentrygon carrikeri, possibly due to differences in their tolerance to disturbance. Cloud forest stood out as the most important habitat as it was used more than expected by species such as P. flavirostris, C. pretiosa, L. verreauxi, L. plumbeiceps, and Z. carrikeri. The species with the broadest habitat preferences were P. flavirostris, C. pretiosa, and L. verreauxi. Three species were exclusive to a single vegetation type (P. cayennensis and P. nigrirostris to evergreen tropical forest; P. speciosa to cloud forest). The volcan San Martin Pajapan, one of the Bio-sphere Reserve core areas was surveyed for the first time, and we recorded L. verreauxi, L. plumbeiceps, as well as an important population of Z. carrikeri, the latter endemic species being previously only known from three other Mexican mountain ranges. The populations of doves and pigeons inhabiting the forest interior are mostly located in isolated primary forest fragments, therefore corridors should be established to avoid the isolation of the remaining endangered dove populations.

Little is known of how territoriality of tropical forest raptors may be influenced by habitat reduction or fragmentation. We compared territory size and territorial defense behavior of Collared Forest-Falcons (Micrastur semitorquatus) in four 2500-ha survey quadrants with differing percent cover of tropical moist forest in a modified landscape in east-central Mexico. We delineated territories of Collared Forest-Falcons using playbacks of a simulated intruder, and calculated territory size and core area size using GIS. We also measured latency, duration, and type of territorial response of falcons to playbacks. We estimated a mean territory size of 205.5 +/- 98.7 ha for seven Collared Forest-Falcons, although territories were significantly larger in low-forest-cover landscapes (mean 288.6 +/- 76.9 ha), compared to those with high forest cover (mean 143.1 +/- 58.3 ha). Collared Forest-Falcons showed stronger territorial behavior when defending territories with greater forest cover, responding for a longer time (5.9 +/- 3.3 min), and including vocalizations with flights toward the speaker, compared to territories with low forest cover, where falcons mainly vocalized for 2 +/- 1.1 min. Our results suggest that the Collared Forest-Falcon is sensitive to the extent of forest cover in the landscape, compensating for reduced forest cover by expanding the area defended, but investing less in defense of this area. This may have long-term implications for the acquisition of resources such as nest sites, and population dynamics of Collared Forest-Falcons in areas of reduced forest cover.

Se realizó un estudio sobre la composición y distribución altitudinal de las mariposas diurnas (superfamilia Papilionoidea) en la Sierra Mazateca, Oaxaca. Se efectuaron recolectas sistemáticas en 12 localidades ubicadas entre los 90 y 2200 msnm, que representan los tipos y subtipos climáticos y de vegetación del área. En las recolectas se emplearon dos técnicas: búsqueda dirigida con red entomológica aérea en los diferentes microhábitats y colocación de cinco a siete trampas Van Someren-Rydon cebadas con plátano fermentado. Este trabajo permitió obtener 3,108 ejemplares, cuya determinación taxonómica y la revisión de 89 ejemplares y 302 registros de la base de datos Mariposa, del Museo de Zoología de la Facultad de Ciencias de la UNAM y los datos provenientes de otras colecciones mexicanas, generaron una lista integrada de 460 taxones, incluidos en seis familias, 19 subfamilias y 246 géneros. De éstos, 353 taxones son nuevos registros para la Sierra Mazateca y 4 son nuevos para el estado de Oaxaca. La familia más diversa fue Nymphalidae (168 taxones), seguida Hesperiidae (141 taxones), Lycaenidae (57 taxones), Pieridae (42 taxones), Riodinidae (33 taxones) y Papilionidae (19 taxones). Los géneros mejor representados en cuanto a riqueza fueron: Urbanus Hübner, Calephelis Grote & Robinson, Adelpha Hübner, Anthanassa Scudder, 1875, Hamadryas Hübner, Eurema Hübner, Autochton Hübner, Chlosyne A. Butler, Parides Hübner, Heliconius Kluk, Memphis Hübner, Emesis Fabricius, Catasticta A. Butler, Astraptes Hübner y Phoebis Hübner. Con base en la curva de acumulación de especies, empleando el modelo de Clench, se recolectaron el 71.3% (380 taxones) de lo estimado para el área y un total de 87.2% de lo estimado considerando las colecciones adicionales. Respecto a la distribución altitudinal el 77% (360 taxones) son frecuentes en los 90-500 msnm.