Brazil has one of the highest avifauna diversities in the world, and many species are used by human populations in many different ways. Capturing wild birds for food, or to raise as pets, or for commercial purposes, together with the loss of habitat, have been the principal causes of population reductions among many species. The present work provides new information about the diversity of wild bird species used in Ceará State (Northeast Brazil) and the techniques used for capturing them, as well as the forces motivating this hunting, the commercial relationships involved, the maintenance of captive species, and the legal and conservation implications of the use of the regional avifauna. A total of 92 wild bird species belonging to 26 families were found to be used as food (39 spp.), for medicinal (3 spp.) and magic-religious (1 spp.) purposes, for commercial ends (46 spp.), or raised as pets (44 spp.), or killed to control their predation on domestic animals (5 spp.). Raising or selling birds is motivated by their singing and/or their natural beauty, with Thraupidae, Icteridae and Emberizidae being the principal families sought after for those purposes. The Family Columbidae has the greatest importance as a food source. Eleven traditional capture techniques (both active and passive) were identified. The commercial value of the birds varied depending on both intra-and inter-specific factors, and the trade in these animals involved both dealers who sold large numbers of individuals at low prices and specialists (''passarinheiros'') who sold just a few domesticated individuals of greater value. Our evaluations of transactions taking place in public markets indicated the probable over-exploitation of a number of species, and these were often imported from other states and countries. In addition to being illegal, the capture of wild birds can cause serious environmental problems that can only be addressed through public policies directed towards education, monitoring and control, alternative sources of income, wildlife management, and ecosystem conservation.

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Inventários rápidos realizados em diferentes pontos no sul do Ceará e oeste de Pernambuco em julho e setembro de 2004 encontraram um total de 209 espécies de aves. A maior riqueza foi de espécies características das várias formações da Caatinga (99 espécies), seguidas por espécies de áreas abertas ou generalistas (65) e aves aquáticas (45). Não foi encontrado um padrão que associasse a similaridade entre áreas a um padrão geográfico. As espécies numericamente dominantes tendem a ser pequenos insetívoros que se alimentam em meio à vegetação baixa e granívoros como Columbidae e Coryphospingus pileatus. Generalistas como Cyanocorax cyanopogon também foram dominantes em alguns pontos. As caatingas muito alteradas ao redor de lagoas temporárias de Petrolina mostraram maior riqueza de espécies. De maneira geral a avifauna regional mostra poucas espécies de maior porte, como Cracidae e Psitacidae maiores, e aquelas dependentes de habitats mais estruturados, como grandes Dendrocolaptidae, refletindo tanto a exploração humana direta como a substituição de habitats de estrutura florestal por formações mais baixas e simples.
Rapid bird inventoires made in the Caatinga of southern Ceará and west Pernambuco in July and September 2004 found a total of 209 species. Birds characteristic of the different Caatinga habitats (from dense scrub to arboreal-arbustive forations) accounted for 99 species, followed by open habitats or generalist species (65) and waterbirds (45). We found no geographic pattern in area similarity. Numerically dominant species tend to be small insectivores feeding amid the lower vegetation and granivores such as Columbidae and Coryphospingus pileatus. Generalists such as Cyanocorax cyanopogon were also dominant in some áreas. The very disturbed scrub caatinga around temporary lagoons near Petrolina (Pernambuco) had the most species. The regional avifauna show few larger species such as Cracidae and Psitacidae, while birds associated to more arboreal, structured habitats such as the larger Dendrocolaptidae are also scarce or absent, refecting both direct human exploitation and the replacement of forest-like habitats by lower, less diverse scrub habitat

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