﻿VENEZUELAN ORNITHOLOGY — FRIEDMANN AND SMITH 421 



clearings for drilling rigs and pipelines, and the camps constructed are 

 of such restricted extent and nature that the changes they have caused 

 to the habitats are negligible. As firearms and ammunition are 

 scarce and expensive, hunting is confined principally to deer, the 

 limiting factor of which is probably the lack of food during the dry 

 season, rather than the inroads made by men. 



Fires in the deciduous seasonal forest rarely attain important size 

 owing to the sparse open nature of the vegetation, while in the lowland 

 seasonal forest fires apparently rarely occur. On the savanna, fires 

 are common and sometimes of considerable extent. It is a striking sight 

 to see the hawks and vultures following immediately behind the flames 

 to feed on the disabled lizards, snakes, and insects. This habit is 

 particularly characteristic of Polyborus cheriway cheriway and Buteo 

 albicaudatus colonus. 



Figure 49. — Diagram showing breeding activities of birds in the northeastern Venezuela 

 study area. Figures indicate number of species breeding each month. 



