Complete Breeding Chronology and Nest Architecture of the Lesser Antillean Bullfinch (Loxigilla noctis dominicana) on Human-Made Structures: Intensive Case Studies from Guadeloupe

Nest-building tempo, full breeding timeline, and microsite architecture of the Lesser Antillean Bullfinch (Loxigilla noctis dominicana) in suburban Guadeloupe was documented and quantified using video and photographic monitoring of two focal pairs. Mounted and hand-held cameras documented Pair A throughout the complete breeding cycle, with supplementary observations for Pair B. This case study provides the first day-resolution chronology for this species. All nests were domed with lateral entrances and placed on human structures (e.g., lamp housings, wall appliances) that provided base support and lateral cover. Pair A measurements were: height from ground ~8 m; external width 13 cm; height 17 cm; entrance 5 cm; wall thickness 4 cm; Pair B: height from ground 5 m; width 16 cm; height 13 cm; entrance 6 cm; wall thickness 5 cm. Construction lasted 10 days (A) and 21 days (B); incubation 15–16 days; nestling 16 days; females brooded up to ~6 days post-hatch. Post-fledging care persisted ~6–7 weeks. Despite the limited sample of n=2 focal pairs, the daily monitoring approach provides unprecedented detail of the complete breeding cycle. These preliminary observations extend prior notes from St Lucia [1] by documenting full cycle timing on human-made substrates and quantifying nest architecture at the site scale.