Abstract

ALVAREZ-ALVAREZ, Edson A.. House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) usurp Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) nests in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. Huitzil [online]. 2022, vol.23, n.2, e641.  Epub Mar 31, 2023. ISSN 1870-7459.  https://doi.org/10.28947/hrmo.2022.23.2.676.

The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), an invasive species in Mexico, has ecological and physiological plasticity that enables the species to compete for food resources and nesting sites in human-modified environments. P. domesticus usurps nests of several bird species, but its aggressive behaviour in nest usurpation has been poorly documented. In this note, I documented a case of nest usurpation of the Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) by House Sparrows in the town of Ixcateopan de Cuauhtémoc, Guerrero, Mexico. During the wintering season, five House Sparrows usurped eight nests of 10 Cliff Swallows. This note includes a new case of usurpation for P. pyrrhonota and P. domesticus in Mexico and the Neotropics. This information can help to understand the effects of an exotic species on native birds that use the same habitat.

Keywords : Behaviour; birds; competition; life history; Hirundinidae; Mexico; Passeridae.

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