Sweet trap: Boa constrictor (Serpentes: Boidae) preying on passerines on Cecropia pachystachya (Urticales: Cecropiaceae) in fruiting period

Abstract

Fruits of trumpet tree (Cecropia spp.) attract different species of birds and mammals. Boas (Boa constrictor) are sit-and-wait strategists, able to choose to ambush in microhabitats that are frequently visited by prey. We have seen two events of predation of passerines (Pitangus sulphuratus, Turdus rufiventris) by boas on the same trumpet tree (Cecropiapachystachya) in a remnant of Cerrado, in the city of Campo Grande/MS. These reports may be evidence of strategic association of boas to trumpet trees, considering the density of snakes recorded on the tree and the constant visits by potential prey during fruiting periods. Besides encouraging a more detailed investigation on the strategies of predation by boas, our records constitute relevant information about the snake natural history.