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Breeding of the Greenish Schiffornis (Schiffornis virescens, Tityridae)

Miguel Ângelo Marini, Neander Marcel Heming

Abstract


Like several Neotropical bird species, the breeding biology of the seven species of Schiffornis (Tityridae) is poorly known. Only three of these species have some aspects of their breeding biology described. This study provides description of two rare unreported clutches of the Greenish Schiffornis (Schiffornis virescens) housed for more than a century in the egg collection of Museu de Zoologia (MZUSP). Also, we estimated the nesting period for the species based on several scattered evidences of breeding, and compared the data with other Tityridae. Clutch size is of two or three, and museum eggs measure 2.13 ± 0.13 × 1.65 ± 0.08 cm (n = 4). Egg shape varied from oval to elliptical. The breeding season of the Greenish Schiffornis lasts at least between October and February, a known breeding period of forest birds from its distribution range. The still scarce breeding evidences for Schiffornis species and their close relatives call for further field studies, especially when considering the debatable phylogeny of the group.


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