An avifaunal inventory and conservation prospects for the Gurupi Biological Reserve, Maranhão, Brazil

Abstract

We carried out an avifaunal inventory of the Gurupi Biological Reserve, Maranhão, municipalities of Bom Jardim and Centro Novo do Maranhão, between December 2009 and December 2013. The main objective was to estimate species richness and identify endemic species. A further objective was to identify vulnerable and endangered species to provide information for the development of conservation strategies. Data were collected using mist-netting and MacKinnon lists, as well as nonsystematic observations. A total of 424 species were recorded from 64 families; 18 of which considered endemic taxa. Seven are threatened nationally: Psophia obscura, Guaruba guarouba, Pyrrhura lepida lepida, Pteroglossus bitorquatus bitorquatus, Phlegopsis nigromaculata paraensis, Dendrocincla merula badia, and Dendrocolaptes medius. In addition to these, another eight are threatened internationally (IUCN 2014): Tinamus tao, Penelope pileata, Lophornis gouldii, Pyrrhura amazonum, Touit huetii, Pionites leucogaster, Pyrilia vulturina and Lepidothrix iris. Survey results underscore the extreme importance of the Gurupi Biological Reserve as a strategic site for the conservation and maintenance of endemic and endangered species of the Belém Center of Endemism in Brazilian Amazonia.