Preliminary analysis of the foraging of Crax fasciolata Spix 1825, in anthropic areas in the northwest of the state of Minas Gerais

The foraging behavior of Crax fasciolata (family: Cracidae) was observed during two consecutive years (2014-2015) in three anthropic areas surrounded by fragments of native forest vegetation of the Cerrado biome. The objective was to identify standard traits in the foraging behavior of Crax fasciolata in these environments, in order to understand what factors lead the individuals of the species to use vulnerable areas in the search of food resources. Three pairs of the species (n = 6) and their juveniles (n = 8) were monitored periodically, systematically at dawn, totaling 228 hours of observation, through direct visualization of consumption. The pairs are free-living, and from the total hours monitored during the study, we obtained a rate of 88% of our records of them in the anthropic environment, near domestic poultry farms. The pairs remained in the vulnerable environment for about 45-60 minutes, returning to forest fragments at the end of their feeding. In the reproductive periods observed, pairs returned on average three times a day with their juveniles. During the incubation period, the foraging was carried out only by the male and with time spent in the reduced environment. Partial results indicate a high dependence of the individuals on the anthropic environment to meet their daily basic diet, because the forest fragments have been reduced to the point that the resources do not supply their diet. Further analysis is needed on the foraging of this species.