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Avifauna

Shelter for more than 450 species

The area of the Nascentes do Iguaçu Ornithological Observatory contributes to the conservation of ecosystems which support 458 species of birds, 330 of them confirmed and 128 potentially sighted there [1].


To illustrate the importance of the local avifauna, 44 species that occur in the Observatory are included on the Red List of Endangered Birds in the State of Paraná, according to an updated survey published by the Paraná government [2].  Of these 44, the Purple-winged Ground-Dove (Claravis geoffroyi) is classified as "regionally extinct".  Another 4 are classified as "critically endangered", 16 "endangered" and 23 as "vulnerable". 

The same state survey additionally reports a number of "near threatened" species, with 17 occurring at the Ornithological Observatory.  A complementary list of birds with "insufficient data" about their population is also presented, but may be included in the threatened list when additional information becomes available. Of this last list, three appear on the Observatory's list [1]: Shrike-like Cotinga (Laniisoma elegans), Tiny Hawk (Accipiter superciliosus), and Swallow-tailed Cotinga  (Phibalura flavirostris).


The publication of lists of endangered species is important not only to raise awareness, but also to stimulate the development of measures aimed at protecting them.  In addition to the work of the Paraná Government, other institutions also publish "red lists" of fauna and flora.  In Brazil this includes the lists published by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), and, on an international level, the publications of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).


Two lists of birds that occur in the Nascentes do Iguaçu Ornithological Observatory are presented on this page.  The first, in Portuguese, is a technical-scientific study produced by the researcher Fernando Costa Straube [1] which enumerates and qualifies the species of potential or confirmed occurrence in the Observatory area. The ornithologist compiled the information based on records made during several visits to the area between September 2020 and May 2021.


The second document is an expedited publication that serves bird lovers in general.  This list was produced by the Observatory in order to facilitate species checking by observers on site visits.  This document was structured based on the work of Straube [1] and added the revisions made by the update of the List of Bird Species of Brazil [3], released in July 2021 by the Brazilian Committee of Ornithological Records (CBRO).  The publication of the Ornithological Observatory includes the 458 listed by Straube, with the correspondence between scientific names and vernacular names in Portuguese and English.


To broaden the knowledge about the birds that occur in the Ornithological Observatory, we suggest accessing the content of the Brazilian community WikiAves and the eBird platform of the Cornell University Ornithology Laboratory - United States.  Both are collaborative databases, in which you can find complete profiles of birds, including information on conservation status, habits, diet, area of occurrence, photographs, vocalization audios, and other information.


There are two complementary recommendations for enriching birdwatching skills.  The first is the Brazilian Glossary of Birdwatching, produced by Hori Consultoria Ambiental and published in Portuguese, which can be accessed here.  The other is the second edition of the "CBRO's commented birdlist of Brazil", which can be accessed in Portuguese (http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5138368) and English (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43388-021-00058-x).


Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Ornithological Observatory adopts and recommends the Code of Ethics for Birdwatchers, published in Portuguese by the National Center for Research and Conservation of Wild Birds (CEMAVE). A version of the document can be accessed here or on CEMAVE's website.

References:

 

[1] STRAUBE, Fernando C. Lista preliminar das aves do Observatório Ornitológico Nascentes do Iguaçu (Recreio da Serra, Piraquara, Paraná). Curitiba: Hori Consultoria Ambiental, 2021 (unpublished manuscript)

[2] PARANÁ, Governo do Estado do. Lista de Espécies de Aves pertencentes à Fauna Silvestre Ameaçadas de Extinção no Estado do Paraná - Decreto 11797, de 22 de novembro de 2018. [s. d.]. Disponível em: https://www.casacivil.pr.gov.br

[3] PACHECO, José Fernando; SILVEIRA, Luís Fábio; ALEIXO, Alexandre; AGNE, Carlos Eduardo; BENCKE, Glayson A.; BRAVO, Gustavo A.; BRITO, Guilherme R. R.; COHN-HAFT, Mario; MAURÍCIO, Giovanni Nachtigall; NAKA, Luciano N.; OLMOS, Fabio; POSSO, Sérgio R.; LEES, Alexander C.; FIGUEIREDO, Luiz Fernando A.; CARRANO, Eduardo; GUEDES, Reinaldo C.; CESARI, Evaldo; FRANZ, Ismael; SCHUNCK, Fabio; DE Q. PIACENTINI, Vitor. Annotated checklist of the birds of Brazil by the Brazilian Ornithological Records Committee—second edition. Ornithology Research, v. 29, n. 2, p. 94–105, jun. 2021. DOI 10.1007/s43388-021-00058-x. Disponível em: https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s43388-021-00058-x. Acesso em: 4 ago. 2021.

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