Distribuição espacial e organização social de arenas de Pipra rubrocapilla (Passeriformes ; Pipridae ) em um remanescente de floresta atlântica do nordeste brasileiro AL

Abstract

Manakins are Neotropical birds essencially frugivorous, intensely colored, and with elaborate prenupcial rituals. These characteristics are directly connnected with a rare social behavior that is the mating system in polygamous leks. Such leks are small territories controlled by males, varying in spacial distribution and social organization. The variations are important to establish manakin phylogenetic relationships. In order to study these characters in leks of Pipra rubrocapilla as well as their variations according to the three diverse kinds of habitat found in the area studied, a 35 ha area was delimitated, where 36 courtship places were found, in 14 leks. The largest density was found in the mata de baixada (0.70 leks ha-1), followed by mata de encosta (0.57 leks ha-1) and mata de borda (0.24 leks ha-1), varying from 50 to 200m in distance (average = 74.8 ± 56.5; n = 14), and with 1 to 4 males per lek. Significant differences were recorded in some vegetation variables of courtship places. The places themselves remained stable during all the study period.