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1 February 2006 Reproductive Parameters and Productivity of the Yellow-Shouldered Parrot on Margarita Island, Venezuela: a Long-Term Study
Virginia Sanz, Adriana Rodriguez-Ferraro
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Abstract

We studied the breeding biology of the Yellow-shouldered Parrot (Amazona barbadensis) on Margarita Island from March-August, 1990 to 1999. The timing of the different phases (egg-laying, hatching, fledging) was consistent over the years, except during 1998 when all phases were delayed. The average clutch size was 3.38 ± 0.78 eggs per nest, with a range of one to five eggs per clutch, and most eggs survived until hatching (3.36 ± 0.80 eggs per nest). Total clutch size and hatching success of this species on Margarita Island are among the highest in the genus Amazona, suggesting the Yellow-shouldered Parrot has a higher reproductive potential than other species of the genus. We detected interannual differences for some of the reproductive parameters, all in 1998, a year with an extreme drought. Egg losses totaled 20% and were caused by hatching failure, predation, and human disturbance. Forty-nine percent of nestlings were lost, mainly due to poaching. The number of fledglings per nesting pair averaged 1.27 ± 1.61, but varied greatly among years. Thus, in relation to the average total clutch laid, each pair lost an average of 62% of its initial reproductive investment.

Virginia Sanz and Adriana Rodriguez-Ferraro "Reproductive Parameters and Productivity of the Yellow-Shouldered Parrot on Margarita Island, Venezuela: a Long-Term Study," The Condor 108(1), 178-192, (1 February 2006). https://doi.org/10.1650/0010-5422(2006)108[0178:RPAPOT]2.0.CO;2
Received: 30 November 2004; Accepted: 1 August 2005; Published: 1 February 2006
KEYWORDS
Amazona barbadensis
breeding biology
Margarita Island
mortality factors
productivity
Venezuela
Yellow-shouldered Parrot
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