Novo registro de nidificação do beija-flor-de-gravata-verde Augastes scutatus estende período reprodutivo da espécie

Abstract

The Hyacinth Visorbearer, Augastes scutatus, is an endemic hummingbird species of the rocky outcrop areas ("campos rupestres") above 1,000 m at the Espinhaço Range in southeastern Brazil. Its very restricted range and habitat loss make A. scutatus a near-threatened species according to IUCN. There are very few and contradicting records on its breeding and nesting biology. Most of the published records do not show basic information, such as locality, altitude and reproductive success. Here we present a new breeding record of this species at 'Serra do Cipó', state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. We compared our data to the published measurements of the nests and their period of activity. We found the nest on July 2005 at 1,225 m altitude and 0.93 m height above ground, measuring 59.2 mm external height, 27.5 mm internal height or depth, 35.1 x 29.3 mm external diameter and 32.3 x 28.4 mm internal diameter. On August we found the nest active with a female brooding two eggs. On September the nest was empty but no sign for a possible reason of failure was detected. This nest is slightly different from the ones reported in the literature, for example in relation to its egg chamber being more elliptical. Breeding activities of the Hyacinth Visorbearer are here recorded for the first time during the months of August and September. Because of the apparent rarity of its nest and conflicting information in the literature to date, no conclusion on the time of its breeding season can be drawn.