Diet and seed dispersal in two species of tanagers (Habia) from two types of vegetation in Los Tuxtlas, Ceracruz, Mexico

Abstract

Fecal samples from mist-netted birds were used to determine the diet of the Red-throated (Habia fuscicauda) and Red-crowned (H. rubica) ant-tanagers in secondary vegetation and rainforest. The diet of both species is comprised mainly of various fruit species (65.9% and 66.6%) with animal prey making up a minor proportion (24.1% and 21.2%). Both species are considered dietary generalists and opportunists. In Los Tuxtlas, their diets are remarkably similar. The two species occur with equal frequency in the two types of studied vegetation and disperse seeds of several species of plant pioneers. These seeds are of great importance in the formation of seed banks that permit the development of secondary vegetation and, in the long run, the regeneration of the rainforest.