Hábitos alimentarios del Sabanero (Sturnella magna) en un agroecosistema cubano

Abstract: Feeding habits of the Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) in a Cuban agroecosystem— In a study of the feeding habits of the Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), we collected 23 specimens for analysis of their stomach contents. The birds were captured in the pasture of the Estación Experimental del Instituto de Pastos y Forrajes, Havana province, in July 1992 and March, April, August, and November 1993. The most important items in the samples were Coleoptera, Hymanoptera, and Lepidoptera. The trophic subniche of species was characterized using the indexes of diversity and equitability, and the width and the overlap of the niche, in relation to the number of prey that they eat according to the sexes and seasons. We found that the highest diversity (1.8) and the greatest range (6.9) were obtained in the rainy period. We determined that weights of male meadowlarks were significantly different (P<0.01) from those of females in our sample.

Keywords: Diet, diversity index, Eastern Meadowlark, equitability index, insects, niche overlap, niche width, Sabanero, Sturnella magna, stomach contents, trophic subniche