Habitat use, movements, and survival of the Spotted Tinamou (Nothura maculosa) in agro-ecosystems in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Changes in the composition and configuration of agricultural landscape stemming from grassland conversion and agricultural intensification have been attributed to the global declines of grassland and shrubland birds. In both North America and Europe there exists a large body of research on the effects of agriculture on populations of terrestrial gamebirds, however, little exists for these species in Argentina or Latin America in general. In Argentina the most important gamebird species is the Spotted Tinamou (Nothura maculosa), which has become increasingly scarce in a significant portion of its range due to agricultural intensification over the last 15 years. Using radio telemetry I examined habitat preferences, movements, and survival of Spotted Tinamous in agricultural and mixed agricultural and grazing landscapes in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Individuals most preferred fallow fields and lightly grazed areas, followed by wetlands. Although birds generally maintained small home ranges, in some cases changes in cattle density and the structure of row crops caused birds to move considerable distances. Survival from mid winter to early spring was more than double in the mixed landscape (0,77) compared to the landscape dedicated to row crops (0,33). Based upon research in other regions of the effects of agricultural intensification on terrestrial gamebirds these results are expected and suggest a precarious future for the conservation of grassland and agro-ecosystem species in Argentina in light of present agricultural trends.