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. 2024 Apr 19;14(8):1230.
doi: 10.3390/ani14081230.

Characterization of the Worthen Sparrow (Spizella wortheni)'s Nest Building Materials in Northeastern Mexico

Eliseo B Suarez  1 , Miguel Mellado  2 , Marcos Luna  3 , Eloy A Lozano  3 , Guadalupe Calderon  4 , Yesenia Angel  4 , Oscar Angel  4 , Mayra L Medina  5 , José E García  2
Affiliations

Characterization of the Worthen Sparrow (Spizella wortheni)'s Nest Building Materials in Northeastern Mexico

Eliseo B Suarez et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

The study was conducted within a well-managed beef cattle operation in northeastern Mexico. Each nest was weighed and dissected to obtain the plant and animal material used to build the nests. The number of materials present per nest and relative frequency were determined. Twenty-one building materials were used. Over the years, Muhlenbergia torreyi represented 85.5% of the total biomass of the nests, and Aristida longiseta, Bouteloua gracilis, Brickellia canescens, Purshia mexicana and Cirsium ehrenbergii constituted 2.45, 2.80, 2.44, 1.34 and 1.11% of the total biomass, respectively. The above-mentioned grasses represented 95.62% of the total biomass. Material of animal origin was horse and cow hair, which represented 0.84 and 0.58% of the total biomass, respectively. It was concluded that, at the study site, Muhlenbergia torreyi was a key nest-building material for the Worthen sparrow nest.

Keywords: bird nesting ecology; desert; nest structure; plant–animal interaction; rangeland.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Geographic location of the study area: Los Angeles ranch, municipality of Saltillo, Mexico.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The total weight of Worthen sparrow nests recorded over four years in desert rangeland in northeastern Mexico. Values are means ± SD.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Occurrence of construction materials in different parts of Worthen sparrow nests in rangeland in northeastern Mexico.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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