Soares, Cristiane S., Barnett, Adrian A.., Scudeller, Veridiana V. and Borges, Sergio H. (2023) Searching for food in a concrete jungle: feeding ecology of a Psittacine assemblage (Aves, Psittacidae) in a major Amazonian city. Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências), 95 (3):e20220606. pp. 1-19. ISSN 0001-3765 (Print), 1678-2690 (Online) (doi:10.1590/0001-3765202320220606.)

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Abstract

The efficient use of food resources is a precondition for wild species' survival in urban environments. The feeding ecology of animals in tropical cities, however, remains poorly investigated. Here we study the feeding ecology of parrots in Manaus, a major Amazonian city, and compare the results with a parrot assemblage living in undisturbed habitats. We recorded 203 feeding bouts from eight parrot species, which consumed parts of 51 plant species. Parrot diets were dominated by native palm species (Arecaceae). Exotic plants, however, constituted an important portion of the diet of some parrots. Levin’s indices, a measure of food niche width, varied from 0.40 to 0.83, indicating an overall tendency to generalist diets. Diet overlap between species was small, indicating broad resource partitioning between members of the assemblage. The diversity of plants consumed in the natural environment was greater than in the urban environment (71 species vs. 52). However, the diversity of plants consumed was similar for parrot species recorded both in natural and urban environments, indicating that occupation of the city does not imply an impoverishment in parrot diets. Creation of municipal protected areas and increasing the city afforestation would provide complementary strategies for Manaus parrot conservation.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	diet, niche breadth, parrot ecology, urban adaptation, urban birds.
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Sustainable Agriculture 4 One Health Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Sustainable Agriculture 4 One Health > Behavioural Ecology
Last Modified:	11 Nov 2025 12:26
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/51560

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