NESTING BIOLOGY OF THE BANDED GROUND-CUCKOO (NEOMORPHUS RADIOLOSUS)

The Banded Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus radiolosus) is a rare and endangered bird species whose basic biology is poorly known. We provide the first information on nesting biology for the species. We documented two nesting attempts in the Mache-Chindul Ecological Reserve, Esmeraldas Province, northwest Ecuador. Both the first nest, active in March and April 2005, and the second nest, active in May 2005, were in primary rain forest. Both nests were similar to 5 m above ground in small understory trees (Melastomataceae). A pair of adult Banded Ground-cuckoos attended the first nest and contributed equally to incubation, brooding, and provisioning of a single nestling. The nestling spent 20 days in the nest from hatching to fledging and was fed a wide range of both invertebrates (primarily grasshoppers) and vertebrates (mainly small frogs). The chick fledged successfully. The second nest, also attended by a pair of adults, failed during incubation. We relate our findings to what is known of other ground-cuckoo species and discuss the conservation implications of our results.