Alimentación del Mirlo Acuático (Cinclus cinclus) en ríos de Galicia

Abstract

Feedlng habits of Dippers (Cinclus cinclus) in rivers of Galicia
The feeding habits of the Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) in rivers of NW Spain is studied through the analysis of prey contents in regurgitated pellets (n = 19) and faecal sarnples (n = 80). The results show that the Dippers main prey items are in numerical order: mayfly nymphs, particularly Baetidae, Ephemerellidae (spring and summer) and Heptageniidae (winter); stonefly nymphs; caddisfly larvaes, particularly Hydropsychidae; and dipteran larvae of Simuliidae (summer, autumn and winter). Considering the volurnetric data Dippers mostly consume: Hydropsychidae (aproximately half of the ingested volume in spring, summer and autumn), dragonfly nymphs (particularly Anisoptera) and mayflies (these reach importance in winter). Dippers consume a higher number of large prey during spring-summer than in autumn-winter. Caddisfly larvae are positively selected during spring and summer.