The feeding behavior of the Stripe-crowned Warbler, an understorey foliage-gleaning insectivore, was studied based on fecal and foliage arthropod samples collected in an area of secondary Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. In 32 fecal samples, 220 arthropod feeding items were identified. The most represented groups in the diet were Coleoptera, Araneae, insect larvae and Hymenoptera non-Formicidae, which accounted for almost 80% of the ingested items. Araneae and Coleoptera were also the most abundant taxa found on the foliage. The bird showed preference for prey of a certain type (Hymenoptera Formicidae, Hymenoptera non-Formicidae and insect larvae) and above a particular size (over 4 mm in length), which were the most consumed food items among those found in the environment. The consumption of larger prey items seems to be a way in which the species optimizes its energy intake.
Arthropods; feeding preference; insectivorous bird; trophic ecology; understorey
