Te avifauna of Curaçá (Bahia): the last stronghold of Spix’s Macaw

• DOI: 10.1007/bf03544241
• Publication Date: 2020-02-05T08:02:56Z
• Authors: Juan Mazar Barnett; Cayo Lima Gomes d...; Helder Farias Per...; Andrei Langeloh Roos; Caio Graco Machado; Angélica Maria K....; Luciano N. Naka
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; 14. Life underwater; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences

Te region of Curaca was one of the first regions of the Brazilian northeast to be ornithologically explored, and is known as the type locality and last stronghold of the Spix’s Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii), now extinct in the wild. Te region of Curaca has been considered of high conservation importance, particularly for holding some of the last relicts of Caraiba (Tabebuia caraiba) gallery forest in the Caatinga, and for representing the most obvious place to start a reintroduction program for C. spixii. Despite international interest in the plight of the macaw and frequent visits by ornithologists in the last 30 years, no general avian survey has been undertaken in the region. In this paper, we present data from three independent feld seasons in the area, conducted in 1997-98, 2000, and 2011. We include data on 204 bird species recorded in the region, including 28 taxa endemic to the Caatinga. We present an analysis of the species present in the region, in relation to their preferred habitats and include natural history and breeding data for many of them. In particular, we include our observations on the last wild individual of C. spixii, and describe the nest and breeding behavior of Compsothraupis loricata. We also present an appendix with the list of all avian species recorded in the area, including the feld season when these records were obtained, their seasonal and conservation status, the main habitats and localities where each record was obtained, a quantitative assessment of abundance for part of the species, and documentation (specimen, photograph, or audio recording) available for each species. We conclude that the region of Curaca is particularly species rich, and that a great part of this avian diversity results from its high habitat heterogeneity, which includes arboreal and shrubby Caatinga, gallery forests, riverine riparian habitats along the Rio Sao Francisco, and open areas and artifcial ponds, which are particularly important for aquatic birds.