Breeding behavior of the Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans) in southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Perú: Comportamiento de anidación del halcón reidor (Herpetotheres cachinnans) en el suroccidente de Ecuador y el noroccidente de Perú

Eliot T. Miller; Harold F. Greeney; Ursula Valdez

doi:10.59517/oc.e235

Authors

Eliot T. Miller Harris World Ecology Center, Department of Biology, University of Missouri, St Louis, Missouri and Yanayacu Biological Station, Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador.
Harold F. Greeney Yanayacu Biological Station, Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador.
Ursula Valdez Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59517/oc.e235

Keywords:

Ecuador, Herpetotheres cachinnans, Laughing Falcon, nesting, Peru

Abstract

Though it has received more attention than many other tropical raptors, the Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans) remains a poorly known species. Here we provide data from two Laughing Falcon nests we studied in the Tumbesian region of northwest Peru and southwest Ecuador. We observed the nests for a total of 304 hr. The incubation period was approximately 40 d at one nest. The nestings were observed in one nest in March, in the other in August. During incubation, the female spent the majority (90.1%) of the day on the nest, leaving only to feed on prey delivered by the male. There were no pronounced incubation rhythms, but the female showed a tendency to take breaks between 08:00 and 09:00. The nestling was fed an average of 1.3 times per day, again on food brought entirely by the male. We observed 10 duets between members of pairs that lasted between 3.47- and 10.37-min. Site fidelity and nesting season appeared consistent among years in each nest but differed between the two nests. The female spent 4.5% of her time while on the nest engaged in behaviors other than incubation, particularly nest maintenance.

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