Search

The rock river frog Thoropa miliaris (Cycloramphidae) is a saxicolous species endemic to the Atlantic Forest. There is scarce literature on potential predators of this species, which is likely related to the difficulty of recording its predatory interactions. In this paper, we report opportunistic records of predation on T. miliaris by the snake Chironius laevicollis (Colubridae), spiders of the genus Ctenus (Ctenidae), and the bird Furnarius rufus (Furnariidae). In addition, we compiled the reports of predation on T. miliaris from current published data.

A major barrier to advancing ornithology is the systemic exclusion of professionals from the Global South. A recent special feature, Advances in Neotropical Ornithology, and a shortfalls analysis therein, unintentionally followed a long-standing pattern of highlighting individuals, knowledge, and views from the Global North, while largely omitting the perspectives of people based within the Neotropics. Here, we review current strengths and opportunities in the practice of Neotropical ornithology. Further, we discuss problems with assessing the state of Neotropical ornithology through a northern lens, including discovery narratives, incomplete (and biased) understanding of history and advances, and the promotion of agendas that, while currently popular in the north, may not fit the needs and realities of Neotropical research. We argue that future advances in Neotropical ornithology will critically depend on identifying and addressing the systemic barriers that hold back ornithologists who live and work in the Neotropics: unreliable and limited funding, exclusion from international research leadership, restricted dissemination of knowledge (e.g., through language hegemony and citation bias), and logistical barriers. Moving forward, we must examine and acknowledge the colonial roots of our discipline, and explicitly promote anti-colonial agendas for research, training, and conservation. We invite our colleagues within and beyond the Neotropics to join us in creating new models of governance that establish research priorities with vigorous participation of ornithologists and communities within the Neotropical region. To include a diversity of perspectives, we must systemically address discrimination and bias rooted in the socioeconomic class system, anti-Blackness, anti-Brownness, anti-Indigeneity, misogyny, homophobia, tokenism, and ableism. Instead of seeking individual excellence and rewarding top-down leadership, institutions in the North and South can promote collective leadership. In adopting these approaches, we, ornithologists, will join a community of researchers across academia building new paradigms that can reconcile our relationships and transform science. Spanish and Portuguese translations are available in the Supplementary Material.

Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-27T11:21:54Z No. of bitstreams: 0Bitstream added on 2014-05-27T14:43:41Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 2-s2.0-34547545795.pdf: 31461 bytes, checksum: 20539fe851fda80c34a5c791505a7c2f (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-27T11:21:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-07-01 The foraging behavior of two White-backed stilts (Himantopus melanurus) was studied in a lake at the municipality of Santa Gertrudes, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The foraging strategies observed were classified in two categories: pluging (65.8% of total maneuvers) and pecking (34.3%). Only in 26.8% of the foraging maneuvers the individuals captured preys (72.9% by plunging and 27.1% by pecking). When comparing both strategies, plunging was successful 29.7% of the times, but pecking only 21.2%. At the study site, individuals foraged only up to 20 m away from the lake margin. The foraging area exploited by the White-backed stilts was estimated in about 720 m 2. Foraging activities lasted since before sunrise until after sunset. © 2006 Instituto de Ciências Biológicas - UFMG. Graduação em Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP, Campus de Rio Claro) Centro de Estudos Ornitológicos, Rua Bagé, 230, apto. 24 bl. C, Sao Paulo, SP Graduação em Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP, Campus de Rio Claro), Rua Mogi das Cruzes, 129, Campinas, SP Graduação em Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP, Campus de Rio Claro) Centro de Estudos Ornitológicos, Rua Bagé, 230, apto. 24 bl. C, Sao Paulo, SP Graduação em Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP, Campus de Rio Claro), Rua Mogi das Cruzes, 129, Campinas, SP