Ecological Correlates of Rarity in a Tropical Forest Bird Community

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Abstract
Many species were rare and a few species and individuals seasonal at a lowland seasonally wet forest site in central Panama. Rare species decreased in April-June, either because of nesting peaks or because food supplies are better (hence wandering less necessary) in these months. Of the rare species, many are large species with large home ranges and others wander from nearby second-growth or forest-edge habitats. Some are associated with a small stream adjacent to the study plot. Some follow army ants or have other specialized hunting techniques that may be correlated with their rarity. For a number of species rarity may also be correlated with limits to physiological capabilities and exclusion by local congeneric competitors, but definitive evidence for these patterns is hard to muster. Some species wander seasonally from wetter or dryer habitats in central Panama, suggesting some seasonal flux that keeps birds within forests of correct moisture (or other) characteristics at all times. The magnitude of these seasonal movements varies among wet and dry years. When the ecological correlates of rarity are compared for two Middle American forests, a number of similarities are found. Differences in the two areas are attributed to differences in sampling or to characteristics of the climate and/or nearby habitats.

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