Short Communications 
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 123( 1): 142—145, 2011 
First Description of Nests and Eggs of Chestnut-headed Crake 
(Anurolimnas castcineiceps ) from Ecuador 
Galo Buitron-Jurado , 1 ' 2 ’ 3 Juan M. Galarza , 1 and Danny Guarderas 1 
ABSTRACT.—We describe the nest and eggs of the 
Chestnut-headed Crake (Anurolimnas castaneiceps) 
based on observations of two nests found in the border 
of the Lliquino River, Pastaza Province, Ecuador. Nests 
were found in June and December with birds incubating 
eggs. Both nests were on fallen logs covered by vines 
and epiphytes in natural small gaps. They were open 
cups and built principally with dead leaves. The 
coloration of the eggs was pinkish white with scattered 
brown spots, similar to other Amazonian rails and 
crakes. The nests were similar in structure to those of 
wood rails (Aramides spp.) suggesting a close relation¬ 
ship between Anurolimnas and Aramides. Received 24 
May 2010. Accepted 14 October 2010. 
Information about nesting of birds such as nest 
architecture and placement may help clarify either 
phylogenetic relationships among taxa or selec¬ 
tive pressures on breeding biology (Zyskowski 
and Prum 1999, Greeney et al. 2008). Nesting data 
are also useful for conservation because they may 
allow predicting potential impacts of land use 
practices on bird populations (Monterrubio-Rico 
and Escalante-Pliego 2006, Greeney et al. 2008). 
Crakes, gallinules, and coots (Rallidae) are a 
nearly cosmopolitan group of marsh- and swamp- 
inhabiting birds. Some species are common and 
widespread in many tropical habitats, but infor¬ 
mation on the natural history of several species 
remains unknown because of their secretive 
habits. Details about the breeding biology of eight 
neotropical species of rails, including the Chest¬ 
nut-headed Crake (Anurolimnas castaneiceps ) are 
still lacking (Taylor 1996). 
The range of the Chestnut-headed Crake is in 
western Amazonia from eastern Colombia to 
northwestern Bolivia (Hilty and Brown 1986, 
1 Museo de Zoologia, Escuela de Biologfa, Pontificia 
Universidad Catolica del Ecuador, Casilla 17-01-2184. 
Quito, Ecuador. 
- Current address: Laboratory de Biologfa de Organis- 
mos, Centro de Ecologfa, Instituto Venezolano de Investi- 
gaciones Cientfficas, Apartado 2032, Caracas 1020-A 
Venezuela. 
Corresponding author; e-mail: galobuitronj@yahoo.es 
Taylor 1996, Tobias and Sheldon 2007). It is a 
fairly common bird in Ecuador and occurs in 
secondary woodlands, humid forests, and season¬ 
ally-flooded forests in the eastern lowlands 
(Ridgely and Greenfield 2001). It is a cryptic 
species and there are few data available about its 
behavior and natural history. We present the first 
description of the nest and eggs of the Chestnut- 
headed Crake from Lliquino River, Pastaza 
Province in Ecuadorian Amazonia. 
METHODS 
We conducted several surveys at seven local¬ 
ities as part of a bird diversity study in the 
Lliquino and Villano river drainages from Febru¬ 
ary to December 2008, Pastaza Province, Ecua¬ 
dor. The Lliquino and Villano rivers are small 
tributaries of the Pastaza River in the Ecuadorian 
Amazonia. The area is characterized by continu¬ 
ous lowland evergreen rain forest (Sierra 1999). 
The forest canopy was 25 m tall with scattered 
emergent trees 35 m in height. Common tree 
species included Iriartea deltoidea , Otoba glyci- 
carpa, Grias neubertii, and several species of 
Inga. The topography of the basin was hilly and 
many streams flow through it. The climate is wet 
and rainy. Climatic data for the locations are not 
available but the average annual precipitation 
recorded at the closest meteorological station in 
Puyo is 4,500 mm (6-year average) (INAMHI 
2006). 
Nests were discovered inside the vegetation 
during walks through the area. The first was 
~5 km from the Kichwa village of Pandanuque, 
~27 km southeast of the town of Sarayacu (01 
44' S, 77 29' W, 427 m asl), Pastaza Province. 
The second nest was near the Kichwa village of 
Huito, 10 km west of the location of the first 
nest. Access was by helicopter. 
Dimensions of eggs and nests were measured 
with calipers to the nearest 0.1 mm. The egg 
found in the second nest was weighed using a 
pesola scale. Color names follow Smithe (1975). 
142 
