Marked population increase in Pale-headed Brush-finch in response to cowbird control

Niels Krabbe (1) , Mery Juiña (2) , Aldo Fernando Sornoza (2)

1 Zoological Museum [Copenhagen]
2 Fundación Jocotoco

The Pale-headed Brush-finch is an emberizine finch that is confined to south-central Ecuador and critically endangered owing to cowbird parasitism and habitat loss. We report a marked increase in numbers of brush-finches after seven years of cowbird control, confirming that brood parasitism had been an important limiting factor, and that shooting with firearms can be an effective method of controlling local cowbird parasitism.

Mots clés: Ecuador; Critically endangered; Population status; Cowbird control

Niels Krabbe, Mery Juiña, Aldo Fernando Sornoza. Marked population increase in Pale-headed Brush-finch in response to cowbird control. Journal für Ornithologie = Journal of Ornithology, 2010, 152 (2), pp.219-222. ⟨10.1007/s10336-010-0567-z⟩. ⟨hal-00614848⟩