Uejima et al • BREEDING AND FORAGING OF THE PLUSH-CRESTED JAY 
91 
FIG. 3. 
Eggs of Plush-crested Jays in Klabin Ecological Park (KEP) in southern Brazil. Photograph by A. F. R. Gatto. 
and offspring care. Food was brought to the 
brooding bird by helpers in the flock after 
constant calling for food. The helpers either 
directly delivered food to the nestlings or to the 
lJl| ll in the nest; this individual received the food 
Jl| d redistributed it to the nestlings. The average 
dumber of visits to provision nestlings varied 
’froughout their development: the average was 
t; ' c visits/hr in the lirsl week; seven visits/hr in 
L second week, and nine visits/hr in the third 
l -' The average visitation rate was the same 
-Prdless of brood size. Helpers were recorded 
"uing fecal sacs from the nest and providing 
(ic!ense against predators in addition to helping 
Pj ov 'ision the nestlings. Up to six helpers were 
:,earl y observed defending a nest against tufted 
capuchins (Cebus cippelci), which were kept far 
front the nest. 
Nestlings left the nest ~23 ± 1.26 days after 
hatching and, for the next 20 days, they solely 
depended on food provided by the parents and 
helpers. Fledglings began feeding by themselves 
after 25 days and were completely independent at 
90 days. The two color banded fledglings marked 
in 2005 were observed helping in 2006. 
Foraging .—We observed 3.508 foraging events 
(1.209 at VVP; 1,700 at KliP; and 599 at RTF; 
Table 4). The capture technique used by Plush- 
crested Jays was ‘gleaning' (described by Robin¬ 
son and Holmes 1982). The diet (recorded in all 
3.508 events) included invertebrates (spiders, 
millipedes, beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, 
I KEP 
2KEP 
3 KEP 
3 KEP 
5VVp 
6 Wp 
7 KEP 
8 KEP 
’KEP 
Mean ± SD 
Tarsus 
38.8 
36.4 
36.5 
39 
38 
36 
39.1 
36.8 
40.5 
37.9 ± L46 
Cut men 
20.2 
18.2 
19.4 
20.6 
15.2 
19 
17.6 
17.5 
18.2 
18.4 ± 1.53 
Noslril/Bitl 
Wing 
12.2 
92 
11 
80 
12.7 
89.3 
12.1 
89 
12 
110 
14.1 
110 
10.7 
82.4 
11.3 
82.4 
11.1 
82.5 
11.9 ± 0.99 
90.8 ± 10.90 
Mass 
140 
115 
120 
130 
100 
100 
115 ± 12.47 
