Publikationsdatum:
2021-07-15
Beschreibung:
The Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani was introduced to the Galapagos archipelago in the 1960s, since when its population has grown significantly. We studied the dietary items in the gizzards of 56 anis sampled on the island of Santa Cruz. We confirmed that the diet of C. ani consists primarily of invertebrates and plant material, including native species and non-native invasives. The second most abundant seed in the anis’ diet was that of the highly invasive plant, Rubus niveus. Our findings suggest that C. ani poses a threat to the Galapagos ecosystem by dispersing seeds of non-native plants and by competing with other insectivorous species on the islands. Furthermore, the discovery of a Darwin’s Finch nestling in the gizzard of one C. ani establishes direct predation by this species on native birds.
Schlagwort(e):
Biology
;
Animal invaders
;
destroying native habitats
Repository-Name:
AquaDocs
Materialart:
article
,
TRUE
Format:
application/pdf
Format:
application/pdf
Format:
43-48
Permalink
