Study

Response of white-winged nightjars Eleothreptus candicans to a prescribed burn of cerrado grassland at Bosque Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve, Paraguay

  • Published source details Pople R.G. & Esquivel A. (2012) Response of white-winged nightjars Eleothreptus candicans to a prescribed burn of cerrado grassland at Bosque Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve, Paraguay. Conservation Evidence, 9, 36-42.

Summary

The White-winged Nightjar Eleothreptus candicans is a globally threatened nightbird of the open savannas of central South America. Previous observations, suggesting that the species has a preference for recently burnt habitats, have potentially been confounded by the increased detectability of individuals and the lack of availability of unburnt habitats following extensive wildfires. This study attempted to address these limitations by monitoring the response of three radio-tagged nightjars (which had already been tracked for ≥10 months) to an experimental burn, overlapping with 16–33% of their pre-burn home ranges, at Bosque Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve in eastern Paraguay. Overall, 10 (24%) of the 42 nocturnal radio-tracking fixes obtained during eight weeks of post-burn monitoring were within the burnt area. One individual entirely avoided the burn parcel following the burn, but the other two showed no significant preference for the burnt area. None of the seven diurnal roost sites located during post-burn monitoring was within the burn parcel. This apparent lack of an active preference for burnt habitat, at least during the first two months immediately following a fire, adds weight to recommendations for more active fire management in the few protected areas where the species persists, in order to reduce the frequency of the periodic uncontrollable and extensive wildfires that typically occur at present.

https://conservationevidencejournal.com/reference/pdf/3573

Output references
What Works 2021 cover

What Works in Conservation

What Works in Conservation provides expert assessments of the effectiveness of actions, based on summarised evidence, in synopses. Subjects covered so far include amphibians, birds, mammals, forests, peatland and control of freshwater invasive species. More are in progress.

More about What Works in Conservation

Download free PDF or purchase
The Conservation Evidence Journal

The Conservation Evidence Journal

An online, free to publish in, open-access journal publishing results from research and projects that test the effectiveness of conservation actions.

Read the latest volume: Volume 21

Go to the CE Journal

Discover more on our blog

Our blog contains the latest news and updates from the Conservation Evidence team, the Conservation Evidence Journal, and our global partners in evidence-based conservation.


Who uses Conservation Evidence?

Meet some of the evidence champions

Endangered Landscape ProgrammeRed List Champion - Arc Kent Wildlife Trust The Rufford Foundation Save the Frogs - Ghana Mauritian Wildlife Supporting Conservation Leaders
Sustainability Dashboard National Biodiversity Network Frog Life The international journey of Conservation - Oryx Cool Farm Alliance UNEP AWFA Bat Conservation InternationalPeople trust for endangered species Vincet Wildlife Trust