More on Mainland Anole Predation

In the Western Andes of Colombia one of the most common bird species is the Black-billed Thrush (Turdus ignobilis, known as Mirla).

In the picture, a Mirla is eating an anole and although it is hard to see what anole species it has in its beak, it is possible to say what species it is not. In this particular locality (vereda Chicoral, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, 1700 m) three anole species occur sympatrically –Anolis ventrimaculatus, A. eulaemus and A. antonii. The first two are frequently found inside forest fragments and to a lesser extent it is possible to find them in the edge forest, but never in crops or cultivable lands, but the third species, A. antonii, a fuscoauratoid anole, is easily found in the edge forest and in crops (tea crops in this case) and very hard to see inside the forest. This picture was taken by my friend Giovanni Chavez-Portilla which he kindly shared with me. It was taken from a second floor of one country house in this locality in November 2008.