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THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY • Vol. 123, No. 1, March 2011 
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 123(1): 168-171, 2011 
Consumption of Larvae by the Austral Parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineus) 
Soledad Diaz 1,3 and Salvador Peris 2 
ABSTRACT.—We report observations of the Austral 
Parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineus ) feeding on larvae 
in the northern part of its distribution in the austral 
temperate forests of Argentine Patagonia during the pre- 
and post-reproductive seasons. Larvae consumed were 
Aditrochus fagicolus (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae) in 
leaf galls of Nothofagus pumilio (79 observations), 
larvae from Homoptera, Lepidoptera, and Diptera in 
seed galls of N. pumilio (12 observations), and larval 
Nemonychidae (Coleoptera) in male cones of Araucaria 
araucana (69 observations). Our observations suggest 
Enicognathus ferrugineus could be more insectivorous 
than previously thought, perhaps to help meet their 
demand lor high-quality food during the pre- and post- 
reproductive seasons. Received 3 December 2009. 
Accepted 8 October 2010. 
Temperate birds apparently time breeding tc 
coincide with annual peaks in food availability a; 
tood can be an important limiting factor, espe¬ 
cially in habitats with sharply defined cold anc 
warm seasons (Newton 2003). Breeding behavioi 
involves a large parental investment prior to the 
laying period, when birds search for high-quality 
food to attain adequate physiological condition 
(Krebs and Davies 1993). 
Parrots (Psittaciformes) are generally known 
tor being mostly seed-eaters (Collar 1997), but 
their diet can vary depending on the habitat. 
arrots breeding in temperate forests experience a 
markedly seasonal environment where protein- 
rich food (important during pre-breeding stage- 
Martin 1987. Koutsos et al. 2001) is scarce prior 
to summer, and is limited primarily to pollen and 
nectar, which become available in late sprint 
?Q 7 Z “ d Klt/hcr8cr 20068 or larvae (Moorhouse 
tyy/). Protein requirements are high for nestlings 
and females with large broods (Koutsos et al 
f°°l)- Parrots with large broods inhabiting 
temperate habitats must find an extra protein 
nio'fxanmn ^°T°’ INIB IOMA-CONICET, Quintral 
1250, (8400) Banloche, Rfo Negro, Argentina. 
IT : Dep " nt0 d e Zoologfa, Facultad de Biologfa 
Spain de Salamanca, 37071 Salamanca, Espana/ 
’Corresponding author; e-mail: jisdiaz@gmail.com 
supply before and during the reproductive season, 
just when protein rich-foods may be most scarce. 
The Austral Parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugi¬ 
neus) is restricted to Andean temperate forests in 
Patagonia from 36 to 54° S (southern Argentina 
and Chile; Collar 1997), and information on its 
biology, ecology, and population status is scarce. 
Given their extreme southern distribution, the lack 
of knowledge about their adaptations to the austral 
climate highlights the importance of understand¬ 
ing their ecological and reproductive require¬ 
ments. Pairs breed once per year; laying starts in 
December (late spring) and nestlings fledge in 
March (late summer). Broods are large with 
respect to body size with females laying between 
five and eight eggs (Collar 1997). Only anecdotal 
data concerning the bird’s ecology (mainly diet 
and breeding aspects) were available prior to 
2001. Leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds, and 
occasionally larvae comprise its known diet 
(Forshaw 1989, Collar 1997, Dfaz and Kitzberger 
2006). Diaz and Kitzberger (2006) report that 
diets of Austral Parakeets in lenga beech ( Notho¬ 
fagus pumilio) forest varied seasonally, following 
forest phenology and availability of food resourc¬ 
es. The diet of the Austral Parakeet includes buds 
and pollen from lenga beech and its hemiparasite 
Misodendrum in the pre-reproductive period, 
leaves of both species and seeds of Misodendrum 
during the reproductive season; and lenga beech 
seeds during the first part of the post-reproductive 
season. Food becomes scarce as winter approach¬ 
es, and their diet is then comprised of low 
nutritional food such as Cyttaria spp. fruit bodies 
and buds. We found sporadic intake of larvae was 
more frequent than previously known and report 
observations of these unusual feeding habits of 
this species. 
OBSERVATIONS 
We conducted field research from 2007 until 
2009 designed to document the basic foraging 
behavior of the Austral Parakeet in an Argentine 
mixed lenga beech and pehuen (or monkey puzz' e 
tree) (Araucaria araucana) forest (hereafter Mr), 
