Abstract

PANIAGUA, Dionisio  and  MORA, José Manuel. First record of predation by the White-necked Puffbird (Notharchus hyperrhynchus) on the Central American Mabuya (Marisora unimarginata). Huitzil [online]. 2023, vol.24, n.2, e660.  Epub Mar 05, 2024. ISSN 1870-7459.  https://doi.org/10.28947/hrmo.2023.24.2.726.

The White-necked Puffbird (Notharchus hyperrhynchus) consumes mainly large insects, and may take small vertebrates, but this has rarely been documented. We document predation by a Puffbird on a lizard in the tropical humid rainforest of Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica. On 5 December 2022, at 17:25 h we observed a White-necked Puffbird perched at 7 m height that flew to a branch at 6 m high in an adjacent tree and captured a Central American Mabuya (Marisora unimarginata). The Puffbird returned to its perch, where we observed for 4 mins as the Puffbird hit the skink against the surface, until it was dead and swallowed it whole. Our observation provides the first documented evidence of predation on a lizard by the White-necked Puffbird in tropical forest. This is important given that populations of the White-necked Puffbird are declining, and the Central America Mabuya has a restricted distribution. Hence, our observation provides species-level information on predator-prey interactions that may fill knowledge gaps for management decisions.

Keywords : arboreal habits; Corcovado National Park; conservation concern; Costa Rica; skink.

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