Roadkill scavenging behavior of White-throated Magpie-Jay (Cyanocorax formosus) in northwestern Costa Rica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28947/hrmo.2024.25.2.796Keywords:
Carrion, Nyctidromus albicollis, omnivorous, opportunistic feeding, Taboga Forestry Reserve, Tropical Premontane Moist ForestAbstract
Corvids are opportunistic omnivores and facultative scavengers, but there are no direct records of Cyanocorax species scavenging on carrion. We documented opportunistic feeding behavior of the White-throated Magpie-Jay (Cyanocorax formosus) on a road-killed Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis) in northwestern Costa Rica. On 25 August 2023, we observed three White-throated Magpie-Jays feeding on the carcass of a Common Pauraque, likely killed by collision with a vehicle, along a gravel road near the Taboga Forestry Reserve. This provides de first documented evidence of the White-throated Magpie-Jay scavenging on roadkill, and of carrion consumption by a Central American corvid. Given the White-throated Magpie-Jay's adaptability and its opportunistic nature as an omnivorous predator, this species may exploit roadkill as a readily available food source.
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