Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia - Universidade Federal do Acre

Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia, 20(4), 447-450Dezembro de 2012 / December 2012artigo/ARTICLERecords of the Crowned Eagle (Urubitinga coronata)in Moxos plains of Bolivia and observations aboutbreeding behaviorIgor Berkunsky 1,2,6 , Gonzalo Daniele 2,3 , Federico P. Kacoliris 2,3 , Sarah I. K. Faegre 4 , Facundo A. Gandoy 3 , LyliamGonzález 5 and José A. Díaz Luque 21Grupo Ecología Matemática. Instituto Multidisciplinario sobre Ecosistemas y Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Nacional del Centro de laProvincia de Buenos Aires. Campus Universitario, Paraje Arroyo Seco (B7000GHG) Tandil. Argentina.2Proyecto de conservación de la Paraba Barba Azul, World Parrot Trust. Casilla correos 101. Trinidad, Beni. Bolivia.3Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Paseo del Bosque s/n (B1900FWA) La Plata. Argentina.4Rota Avian Behavioral Ecology Program, University of Washington. P.O. Box 1298. Rota, MP 96951, USA.5Paraíso Travel. Calle 6 de Agosto Nº 138, Trinidad, Beni. Bolivia.6Corresponding author. Email: igorberkunsky@gmail.comReceived on 7 June 2012. Accepted on 13 September 2012.ABSTRACT: The Crowned Eagle (Urubitinga coronata, Accipitridae) is a globally endangered raptor, endemic to central andsouthern South America. Little is known about this species in Bolivia and no nesting or prey data have been reported for thecountry until now. Between 2007 and 2011, we detected Crowned Eagles in four different locations in Moxos Savannahs of BeniDepartment, Bolivia. We observed an active nest of Crowned Eagle on 23 November 2007. The nest contained a nestling and itwas placed on a living tree approximately 13 m in height and approximately 8 m above the ground. This nest was empty duringSeptember and October 2008, but contained another nestling on 15 November 2009. These represent the first breeding records forthe Crowned Eagle in Bolivia. Prey remains at the nest observed included two nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) andtwo six-banded armadillos (Euphractus sexcinctus). The minimum number of individual Crowned Eagles in the surveyed area wasseven. Our observations of family groups, juveniles and two nestlings confirm the breeding of Crowned Eagles in the Moxos plains.Ectoparasites and uncontrolled burns may threaten the northwestern Bolivian population of the endangered Crowned Eagle.KEY-WORDS: Buteogallus coronatus; conservation; Crowned Solitary Eagle; diet; Harpyhaliaetus coronatus; Moxos savannas; nesting.INTRODUCTIONThe Crowned Eagle (Urubitinga coronata,Accipitridae) is a large raptor (approximately 2.9 kg)endemic to central and southern South America,including Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina (Collaret al. 1992, Thiollay 1994, Ferguson-Lees & Christie2001, BirdLife International 2012). This rare eagle occursin low densities in open and semi-open habitats, in openwoodland, savannah, brushy steppe, dry scrub, lowland,and open or lightly wooded foothills up to 1,200 m(Thiollay 1994, Ferguson-Lees & Christie 2001, Barcellos& Accordi 2006, Monteiro Granzinolli et al. 2006). Thisspecies is considered globally endangered due to its small,fragmented population, and the severity of the threatsit faces strongly suggest a significant and continuingdecline in numbers (Sarasola & Maceda 2006, BirdLifeInternational 2012, IUCN 2012).The national conservation status of the CrownedEagle in Bolivia is Endangered (Balderrama et al. 2009).The presence of the species in Bolivia was confirmed in afew sites in two separated regions: southeastern Santa Cruz(Kratter et al. 1993, Aráujo et al. 2001, Quiroga & Malo2006, Vidoz et al. 2010a, Vidoz et al. 2010b), and BeniDepartment (Rocha 1990, Brace et al. 1997, Maillardet al. 2008, Kingsbury & McNeill 2010). In Bolivia theCrowned Eagle occurs in lowlands, generally between200-400m, inhabiting flooded savannahs and dry andsemi-deciduous forest (i.e. Chaco and Chiquitanía) ofBeni and Santa Cruz Departments of Bolivia (Hennesseyet al. 2003). While some aspects of the natural history,breeding biology, and population demographics areknown for this species in Argentina and Brazil (Bellocq etal. 1998, Sarasola & Maceda 2006, Monteiro Granzinolliet al. 2006), virtually no information exists aboutthe populations in Bolivia (Balderrama et al. 2009).Furthermore, no nesting or prey data have been reportedfor Bolivia.