Ecologia alimentar de uma assembleia de psitacídeos (Aves, Psittacidae) em uma grande metrópole da Amazônia Brasileira

Abstract

The conversion of natural ecosystems into urban environments modifies the biota through the extinction of species sensitive to environmental disturbances. Although most species of plants and animals are sensitive to urbanization and are extinct locally, some of them are able to use resources in urban habitats. In this study, we seek to understand the use of food resources by parrots in an urban landscape of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil during the period from April 2019 to February 2020. The observations were made using the feeding bouts method, noting geographical coordinates, species number of parrots, number of individuals in the flock, species of plant, height of foraging and part of the plant consumed. Morphometric data of parrots deposited in bird collections were also collected. We recorded 203 feeding events for eight species of parrots, identifying 36 species of plants belonging to 20 families. We observed a predominant consumption of native plant species by parrots in the Manaus region. Parrots consumed mainly pulp, followed by seed, whole fruit, flower, leaf and nectar. The breadth of the species' food niche indicated that some of them tend to have a more specialized diet, while others have more general diets. The biggest difference in food ecology between parrots assemblies in Manaus and in the natural environment was the greater diversity of plants consumed by parrots in the natural environment. The use of food resources by the assembly of parrots in the studied urban environment seems to be structured by interspecific competition with a wide partition of resources. Management and conservation strategies that prioritize the creation of new protected areas in strategic areas of the city, and in the intensification of urban afforestation with exotic and native species, can favor the maintenance of the rich fauna of parrots in Manaus.