TIMING OF MIGRATION AND BREEDING OF THE LESSER ELAENIA (ELAENIA CHIRIQUENSIS) IN A NEOTROPICAL SAVANNA

Abstract We studied the Lesser Elaenia (Elaenia chiriquensis) to understand temporal patterns of occurrence and breeding of an intratropical migrant in a highly seasonal savanna (Cerrado). We tested the hypotheses that: (1) occurrence of the Lesser Elaenia in breeding areas is long, as expected for a migrant breeding in the Neotropics, and (2) the breeding period is also lengthy, as the breeding window increases in tropical latitudes. We recorded the abundance of individuals (n  =  5,603 records) and nests (n  =  502) during three breeding seasons (2005–2007). The Lesser Elaenia occurred in the study area during a 4.5-month period (between Aug and Dec  =  132 days), but was abundant during a shorter period (105 days). An interval of 2.5 months (77 days) occurred between the first and last egg-laying dates, concentrated in a shorter interval (63 days). The occurrence period of the Lesser Elaenia in the Cerrado was one of the shortest recorded for a neotropical migratory flycatcher and was most similar to o...