Distribution, habitat and behavior of grasshopper sparrows, Ammodramus savannarum (Passeriformes: Emberizidae) in northeastern Nicaragua.
During March and April of 1996, I made field observations of the sedentary subspecies of grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum cracens), in 600 points of the pine savannas of northeastern Nicaragua. Isolated individuals were found in the humid depressions, but breeding populations were located exclusively in areas that had suffered a recent fire. Territorial behavior varied in intensity apparently as a function of territory size: the most aggressive males were those trying to defend smaller territories in populations close to Miskito villages, where most of the fires occur. In contrast to what is happening in other parts of Central America, the Nicaraguan grasshopper sparrow may be indirectly protected from extinction by the Miskito's traditional fire practices.
Arguedas-Negrini
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Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 104 Botany and Zoology Building, 1735 Neil Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA. arguedas.2@osu.edu
D000378:Agonistic Behavior; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004777:Environment; D004782:Environmental Health; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009527:Nicaragua; D011156:Population Density; D020308:Songbirds / Q000502:physiology*