Similar regional-scale survival of tropical and southern temperate birds from the New World.

The general assumption that the survival patterns of tropical and southern temperate birds are similar lacks empirical data from higher latitudes. Regional comparisons of New World species are rare, and this assumption has been based on data from African studies. Here, we estimate the survival rates of 88 tropical and southern temperate bird populations (69 species) from eight localities in South America to evaluate the hypothesis that the survival of these populations is homogeneous at the regional scale. We estimated survival based on the Cormack-Jolly-Seber model and compared values from different environments. The survival estimates ranged from 0.30 to 0.80 (0.56 ± 0.12). Apparent survival did not differ significantly between low-latitude tropical environments (03°S) and the other sites from high-latitudes (between 22° and 34°S). Despite a predicted positive trend, body size was not significantly related to survival among passerines. On the other hand, phylogenetic relationships explained more than a third of the variation in bird survival. Based on the largest available database on South American bird species, our findings support the hypothesis that bird survival is homogeneous, at the regional scale, along the southern hemisphere. In particular, we reinforce the hypothesis that climatic variation has a limited influence on bird survival in the southern hemisphere.

Studies of Brazilian birds along altitudinal gradients: a critical review

Brazil is home to many mountain ranges which harbor diverse avifauna. However, studies on the altitudinal distribution of Brazilian birds are still few and many have never been published, hampering both the dissemination of basic information and conservation actions. Here we present a critical review of ornithological studies undertaken in Brazilian mountain ranges, and propose a classification of geographic scope, altitudinal gradient, and methodology. Since 1922, 184 ornithological studies included altitude in some way in Brazil, encompassing a variety of research topics and species. About a quarter of these studies were never published in peer-reviewed journals, and 39% do not provide basic data on elevation nor link the bird species with sampling plots, thus limiting their applicability. The majority of studies are concentrated (83%) in southern and southeastern Brazil, especially in the Serra do Mar range, and so most data are associated with the Atlantic Forest. Gaps remain in other regions, such as Amazonia (Pantepui region). Most studies either did not sample the entire elevation gradient, were not standardized, lacked explicit hypothesis, or did not account for a seasonal sampling embracing the four seasons of the year, so interpretation of the observed patterns remains difficult. With this compilation, we organize the available information and point to future altitudinal research on birds, in addition to highlighting the importance of preserving habitats along altitudinal gradients in the mountainous regions in Brazil.(AU)

Seasonal altitudinal movements of birds in Brazil: a review

Birds' seasonal altitudinal movements in Brazil are poorly understood. The main source of information and has fostered interest since the 1980s. However, most of the available information is anecdotal, sources are repeatedly cited, and the information provided is quite superficial and speculative. Through bibliographic searches, we found 107 studies, 83 (77%) of which we consider valid, and only 63 (59%) were peer-reviewed. Most studies were carried out in southern and southeastern Brazil. Only 11 studies explicitly addressed seasonal altitudinal movements. Surprisingly, none of the studies simultaneously comprised a full year of study, standardized sampling methods, and encompassed the entire altitudinal range through which the birds might have moved. As a consequence, the quality of the data is questionable, and the expression "altitudinal migration" is unlikely to be accurate and has never been unequivocally demonstrated for birds in Brazil. Mention of "altitudinal migration" was found for 68 bird species, but these must be more clearly defined and appropriately tested.(AU)

Studies of Brazilian birds along altitudinal gradients: a critical review

Brazil is home to many mountain ranges which harbor diverse avifauna. However, studies on the altitudinal distribution of Brazilian birds are still few and many have never been published, hampering both the dissemination of basic information and conservation actions. Here we present a critical review of ornithological studies undertaken in Brazilian mountain ranges, and propose a classification of geographic scope, altitudinal gradient, and methodology. Since 1922, 184 ornithological studies included altitude in some way in Brazil, encompassing a variety of research topics and species. About a quarter of these studies were never published in peer-reviewed journals, and 39% do not provide basic data on elevation nor link the bird species with sampling plots, thus limiting their applicability. The majority of studies are concentrated (83%) in southern and southeastern Brazil, especially in the Serra do Mar range, and so most data are associated with the Atlantic Forest. Gaps remain in other regions, such as Amazonia (Pantepui region). Most studies either did not sample the entire elevation gradient, were not standardized, lacked explicit hypothesis, or did not account for a seasonal sampling embracing the four seasons of the year, so interpretation of the observed patterns remains difficult. With this compilation, we organize the available information and point to future altitudinal research on birds, in addition to highlighting the importance of preserving habitats along altitudinal gradients in the mountainous regions in Brazil.(AU)

Beta diversity, prevalence, and specificity of avian haemosporidian parasites throughout the annual cycle of Chilean Elaenia (Elaenia chilensis), a Neotropical austral migrant.

Migratory birds are implicated in dispersing haemosporidian parasites over great geographic distances. However, their role in sharing these vector-transmitted blood parasites with resident avian host species along their migration flyway is not well understood. We studied avian haemosporidian parasites in 10 localities where Chilean Elaenia, a long-distance Neotropical austral migrant species, spends part of its annual cycle to determine local parasite transmission among resident sympatric host species in the elaenia's distributional range across South America. We sampled 371 Chilean Elaenias and 1,818 birds representing 243 additional sympatric species from Brazilian wintering grounds to Argentinian breeding grounds. The 23 haemosporidian lineages found in Chilean Elaenias exhibited considerable variation in distribution, specialization, and turnover across the 10 avian communities in South America. Parasite lineage dissimilarity increased with geographic distance, and infection probability by Parahaemoproteus decreased in localities harbouring a more diverse haemosporidian fauna. Furthermore, blood smears from migrating Chilean Elaenias and local resident avian host species did not contain infective stages of Leucocytozoon, suggesting that transmission did not take place in the Brazilian stopover site. Our analyses confirm that this Neotropical austral migrant connects avian host communities and transports haemosporidian parasites along its distributional range in South America. However, the lack of transmissive stages at stopover site and the infrequent parasite lineage sharing between migratory host populations and residents at breeding and wintering grounds suggest that Chilean Elaenias do not play a significant role in dispersing haemosporidian parasites, nor do they influence local transmission across South America.

Primeiro registro da saracura-carijó Pardirallus maculatus(Aves: Rallidae) para o município de Bertioga, São Paulo / First record of the Spotted Rail Pardirallus maculatus(Aves: Rallidae) for the municipality of Bertioga, São Paulo

A saracura-carijó Pardirallus maculatus possui uma distribuição ampla e disjunta na América Central e na América do Sul, ocorrendo em todas as regiões do Brasil. No estado de São Paulo, Sudeste do País, os registros são escassos, e estão espalhados entre interior e litoral. Com isso, apresentamos aqui o primeiro registro documentado desta espécie para o município de Bertioga, litoral de São Paulo. Uma ave adulta foi encontrada no dia 9 de outubro de 2020, em uma área urbana, sendo resgatada e solta no mesmo dia em uma área natural no Serviço Social do Comércio (Sesc) em Bertioga. Essa ave apareceu após uma forte tempestade, e sua ocorrência pode ter relação com isso, ou poderia estar fazendo algum deslocamento regional, comportamento já observado em outros ralídeos. Devido ao baixo número de registros desta espécie para o litoral paulista, este relato pode ajudar a entender melhor sua ocorrência nesta região do estado de São Paulo, contribuindo com sua conservação.

The Spotted Rail Pardirallus maculatus has a wide and disjunct distribution in Central and South America, occurring in all regions of Brazil. In the state of São Paulo, southeast of the country, records are scarce, and are scattered between the interior and the coast. Thus, we present here the first documented record of this species for the municipality of Bertioga, on the coast of São Paulo. An adult bird was found on October 9, 2020, in an urban area, being rescued and released on the same day in a natural area at Serviço Social do Comércio (Sesc) in Bertioga. This bird appeared after a strong storm, and its occurrence may be related to this, or it could be making some regional movement, a behavior already observed in other rails. Due to the low number of records of this species for the São Paulo coast, this report can help to better understand its occurrence in this region of the state of São Paulo, contributing to its conservation.

Are recaptures of banded birds efficient at detecting altitudinal migrations in the Atlantic Forest?

Altitudinal migration in birds comprises seasonal movements between breeding and non-breeding areas in mountainous regions, attributed to biotic and abiotic factors. Different authors have suggested the existence of altitudinal migration between high and low areas of the mountains of the Atlantic Forest, with movement from high to low during the winter when birds would be fleeing the cold and in search of food, but there is no documented evidence. Through recaptures of understory birds, we investigated possible altitudinal migration in a region of the Atlantic Forest in Southeast Brazil. Twenty mist-nets were set at four locations between 15 and 729 m a.s.l. during 143 days of field work, distributed over 54 months and covering all seasons of the year. A total of 1946 birds (98 species) were captured/banded with 558 being recaptured (28.6%; 45 species). However, only 42 of the recaptures were at a different elevation. Most of the movements were of short distances and performed only once by birds, showing no seasonal pattern. These movements may be better interpreted as daily movements undertaken by birds of mixed-species flocks looking for food or moving around their respective home-ranges. Our results show that mist-nets may not be an effective tool in detecting altitudinal movements of birds and that other methods should be evaluated for this purpose.

Avian Malaria and Related Parasites from Resident and Migratory Birds in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, with Description of a New Haemoproteus Species.

Determining the prevalence and local transmission dynamics of parasitic organisms are necessary to understand the ability of parasites to persist in host populations and disperse across regions, yet local transmission dynamics, diversity, and distribution of haemosporidian parasites remain poorly understood. We studied the prevalence, diversity, and distributions of avian haemosporidian parasites of the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon among resident and migratory birds in Serra do Mar, Brazil. Using 399 blood samples from 66 Atlantic Forest bird species, we determined the prevalence and molecular diversity of these pathogens across avian host species and described a new species of Haemoproteus. Our molecular and morphological study also revealed that migratory species were infected more than residents. However, vector infective stages (gametocytes) of Leucocytozoon spp., the most prevalent parasites found in the most abundant migrating host species in Serra do Mar (Elaenia albiceps), were not seen in blood films of local birds suggesting that this long-distance Austral migrant can disperse Leucocytozoon parasite lineages from Patagonia to the Atlantic Forest, but lineage sharing among resident species and local transmission cannot occur in this part of Brazil. Our study demonstrates that migratory species may harbor a higher diversity and prevalence of parasites than resident species, but transportation of some parasites by migratory hosts may not always affect local transmission.

Notes on the hyperossified pumpkin toadlets of the genus Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) with the description of a new species

Four species of pumpkin toadlets are currently recognized by the extreme condition of hyperossification in the skull and vertebral column within the genus Brachycephalus. In addition to their larger body size, relative to other congeneric species, Brachycephalus darkside, Brachycephalus ephippium, Brachycephalus garbeanus, and Brachycephalus margaritatus share remarkable osteological features, such as the large paravertebral plates forming an ornamented dorsal bone shield, visible through the integument. We add to the current knowledge of this group by analyzing its diversity and describing a new hyperossified species from some important Atlantic Forest remnants in southeastern Brazil, including those bordering São Paulo, the largest and most populous city in South America. The new species is diagnosed by a combination of morphological, osteological, and bioacoustic characters, with further evidence of mtDNA sequences to confirm its distinction from the other congeners. The parotic and paravertebral bone plates externally bordered with a rough and pale contour can readily distinguish the new species from the other hyperossified species within Brachycephalus. The new species is widely distributed along the Serra do Mar mountain range, including the regionally named Serra de Paranapiacaba, in elevations from 700 to 1000 m above sea level (a.s.l.), in the central coast of the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. We discuss valuable morphological characters within this group of species, reinforce the need for further studies, and highlight the relevance of protected areas for biodiversity conservation in metropolitan regions.

Evidence for the Pleistocene Arc Hypothesis from genome-wide SNPs in a Neotropical dry forest specialist, the Rufous-fronted Thornbird (Furnariidae: Phacellodomus rufifrons).

South American dry forests have a complex and poorly understood biogeographic history. Based on the fragmented distribution of many Neotropical dry forest species, it has been suggested that this biome was more widely distributed and contiguous under drier climate conditions in the Pleistocene. To test this scenario, known as the Pleistocene Arc Hypothesis, we studied the phylogeography of the Rufous-fronted Thornbird (Phacellodomus rufifrons), a widespread dry forest bird with a disjunct distribution closely matching that of the biome itself. We sequenced mtDNA and used ddRADseq to sample 7,167 genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms from 74 P. rufifrons individuals across its range. We found low genetic differentiation over two prominent geographic breaks - particularly across a 1,000 km gap between populations in Bolivia and Northern Peru. Using demographic analyses of the joint site frequency spectrum, we found evidence of recent divergence without subsequent gene flow across those breaks. By contrast, parapatric morphologically distinct populations in northeastern Brazil show high genetic divergence with evidence of recent gene flow. These results, in combination with our paleoclimate species distribution modelling, support the idea that currently disjunct patches of dry forest were more connected in the recent past, probably during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. This notion fits the major predictions of the Pleistocene Arc Hypothesis and illustrates the importance of comprehensive genomic and geographic sampling for examining biogeographic and evolutionary questions in complex ecosystems like Neotropical dry forests.

Historical knowledge, richness and relative representativeness of the avifauna of the largest native urban rainforest in the world

Stretching for more than 10,000 ha in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, Serra da Cantareira comprises the largest native urban rainforest in the World, harboring a rich and diverse Atlantic Forest avifauna. Despite its closeness to major urban areas, few bird surveys have been conducted there. In this article we present an updated compilation of all bird species recorded for Serra da Cantareira, including personal records from the authors. A total of 326 species have been recorded for Serra da Cantareira since 1901; of these, nine have not been sighted there for the last two decades. The number of bird species endemic to the Atlantic Forest is high (80), and seven of its species are globally threatened. According to multivariate analyses the species diversity at Serra da Cantareira is similar to other regions of the Atlantic Forest, such as Carlos Botelho and Intervales state parks, where the vegetation is also ombrophilous dense forest. We discuss local changes in the avifaunal composition over the last decades and suggest the incorporation of large forest remnants to the Cantareira State Park to mitigate the impact of the northern section of Rodoanel Mário Covas, a highway (SP-21) that will soon be operational and will negatively impact the biodiversity of Serra da Cantareira.(AU)

Historical knowledge, richness and relative representativeness of the avifauna of the largest native urban rainforest in the world

Stretching for more than 10,000 ha in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, Serra da Cantareira comprises the largest native urban rainforest in the World, harboring a rich and diverse Atlantic Forest avifauna. Despite its closeness to major urban areas, few bird surveys have been conducted there. In this article we present an updated compilation of all bird species recorded for Serra da Cantareira, including personal records from the authors. A total of 326 species have been recorded for Serra da Cantareira since 1901; of these, nine have not been sighted there for the last two decades. The number of bird species endemic to the Atlantic Forest is high (80), and seven of its species are globally threatened. According to multivariate analyses the species diversity at Serra da Cantareira is similar to other regions of the Atlantic Forest, such as Carlos Botelho and Intervales state parks, where the vegetation is also ombrophilous dense forest. We discuss local changes in the avifaunal composition over the last decades and suggest the incorporation of large forest remnants to the Cantareira State Park to mitigate the impact of the northern section of Rodoanel Mário Covas, a highway (SP-21) that will soon be operational and will negatively impact the biodiversity of Serra da Cantareira.

As aves da Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins, Centro do Brasil / The birds of Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins

A Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins (EESGT) é uma das maiores Unidades de Conservação dentro do Bioma Cerrado. A avifauna desta UC foi inventariada entre os dias 25 de janeiro e 15 de fevereiro de 2008. Durante esse trabalho buscou-se amostrar os diferentes hábitats encontrados na EESGT, bem como algumas localidades no entorno. Além de registros auditivos e visuais foram utilizadas redes-de-neblina e armas de fogo para coletas de material testemunho, que se encontra depositado na coleção ornitológica do Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP). Os resultados obtidos foram comparados com os dados disponíveis para outras unidades de conservação presentes na região. Foram registradas 254 espécies de aves, incluindo 11 endêmicas do Cerrado e outras três ameaçadas de extinção (Taoniscus nanus, Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus e Procnias averano). Três indivíduos pertencentes ao gênero Picumnus foram coletados; estes apresentam um distinto padrão de plumagem e de vocalização, podendo representar um táxon ainda não descrito.

The Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins is one of the largest conservation units in Cerrado Biome. The avifauna of this locality was studied from January 25 to 15 February, 2008. We attempted to sample the different habitats found both within the EESGT as in its surroundings. In addition to audio and visual records, mist nets and shotguns were used to collect testimony material, which was deposited in the ornithological collection of the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP). The results were compared with data available from other conservation units nearby the EESGT. We recorded 254 bird species; among these 11 were considered endemic to the Cerrado region and other three considered threatened (Taoniscus nanus, Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus and Procnias averano). Three individuals belonging to the Picumnus genus also were collected; they presented unusual plumage and vocalization patterns, which suggests an undescribed taxon.