Cinereous Warbling-Finch (Microspingus cinereus)
I've been following a pair of Microspingus cinereus since December 2019. During this time, I have monitored four litters so far. The natural habitat of this group is in the Dom Bosco Natural Monument, an urban park known as Ermida Dom Bosco here in Brasília - DF. Unfortunately, this park is occupied by a large population of domestic cats.
Currently, the group consists of three individuals, one adult male and two individuals from the October 2023 litter. See the history of individuals below:
Date / Number of individuals
2019/12/19 : 2 adults
2020/12/01 : 2 adults and 2 juveniles
2021/11/04 : 4 adults and 3 juveniles
2022/02/05 : 6 adults
2022/02/22 : 5 adults
2022/03/07 : 4 adults
2023/03/20 : 3 adults
2023/10/06 : 3 adults, 2 juveniles, and 1 chick still in the nest
2023/11/25 : 2 adults and 3 juveniles
2024/03/14 : 1 adult (male) and 3 juveniles
2024/03/26 : 1 adult (male) and 2 juveniles
I've never used playback. We can easily find them in the wild because of the constant vocalization that each individual emits, which I described in the topic “Vocalization”. The more individuals, the easier it is to find them.
With the support and encouragement of Simone Caldas, here is some information about the group's behavior.
1 - Movement
2 - Nesting
3 - Time per individual in the flock
4 - Food
5 - Flights
6 - Vocalization
7 - Temperament
8 - The discovery of the species in the region
9 - iNaturalist publications
1 - Movement:
We can easily follow them, in general they move along the edge of the vegetation.
At sunrise, they leave the dormitory and head towards the Pyramid Chapel, a distance of around 800 meters, where they remain for the rest of the day. In the late afternoon, after 4pm, they begin their return to the dormitory, which can take two routes. The reverse route is used more often.
2 - Nests:
During the period of observation of this group, they did not build a nest in the area of the roost or in the area where they move around on a daily basis. In the month of August, the route is altered, indicating that they are looking for a place to build their nest. The nest is not built in a tree very close to others.
After the chicks leave the nest, they always head towards the roost.
Here is a history of nest building:
Date / Puppies
2021/October: 3
2022/October: Nest predated
2023/January: Nest predated
2023/March: 3
More information about the nests:
1st litter: 2021/October - Three chicks
Records iNaturalist.org:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/100231711
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/100145109
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/100144967
2nd litter: 2022/October - Nest predated
iNaturalist.org records:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/143354652
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/143354309
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/143354873
3rd Litter: 2023/January - Nest predated
iNaturalist.org records:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148255838
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148254608
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148252354
4th litter: 2023/October - Three chicks
iNaturalist.org records:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/186396976
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/187850277
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/186396145
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/186268752
3 - Follow the time per individual in the flock:
Female of the flock:
- 4 years, 3 months and 1 week
Offspring:
-
1st litter (2 puppies)
1 year, 2 months and 4 days
1 year, 2 months and 3 weeks -
2nd litter (3 puppies):
4 months and 3 days
1 year, 11 months and 2 days
2 years and 3 weeks -
3rd litter (3 puppies):
5 months, 1 week and 1 day
4 - Food:
They feed on small invertebrates, small seeds and fruit. Bananas are their favorite fruit.
During the breeding season, before laying her eggs in the nest, the female also feeds on eggshells.
eggshell registration - 2021, 10 jun
eggshell registration - 2021, 23 mai
5 - Flights:
They don't make long flights, in general they move through low vegetation and trees of short stature.
They rarely fly long distances, but only to cross areas without vegetation or when they are looking for food for their chicks.
They are very skillful, both when flying and when moving through tree branches.
6 - Vocalization:
The main vocalizations I recorded are:
6.1 - Movement of the flock in search of food:
Each individual emits a short, high-pitched sound, like a pop, very similar to the clash of two glass balls. It seems to be a way of keeping the group together, like “I'm here”. Does each individual have a unique vocalization, like a name that identifies each individual?
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/66770885
6.2 - Vocalization of an adult bringing food to a juvenile.
https://www.wikiaves.com/4598231&tm=s&t=u&u=38087&s=11641&o=dp&desc=1&o=dp
6.3 - Vocalization when there is a dispute between them. Also, similar to this song, it happens when the male and female meet.
https://www.wikiaves.com/4506370&tm=s&t=u&u=38087&s=11641&o=dp&desc=1&o=dp
6.4 - Common vocalization during the reproductive period, between July and November.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/228532806
7 -Temperament:
Despite their small size, similar to a Sparrow (Passer domesticus), they have a strong temper, which can be observed when there is another species competing for the same food source.
8 - The discovery of the species in the region:
I noticed that two individuals came to my yard daily and several times in the same day. Like other birds, they fed on the ripening bananas from a huge bunch in the banana tree in my backyard.
The species was identified by a friend, Simone Caldas, in December 2019. We were very surprised to see the species in the region. Since then, I've been observing the species in my backyard and also in its natural habitat.
9 - iNaturalist Publications:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&taxon_id=558565&user_id=joas_df&verifiable=any
