The Black-collared Swallow, Pygochelidon melanoleuca, is a Critically Endangered species in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, where its distribution remains poorly known. Here we present novel occurrence records in the Paranaíba, São Francisco and Jequitinhonha river basins, and we discuss the conservation of this species in the region.

No abstract

Este trabalho subsidia a interlocução mais proveitosa entre a Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais (UEMG – Unidade Divinópolis) e a sociedade por meio do estudo de duas políticas públicas importantes para a sustentabilidade: a Lei de Proteção da Vegetação Nativa, conhecida como Novo Código Florestal, e a Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos. A consulta a documentos públicos e entrevistas semiestruturadas foram a principal via de acesso à percepção dos pesquisadores da UEMG e da sociedade sobre as políticas públicas focadas no trabalho. Apresentamos o diagnóstico atual das políticas trabalhadas, relacionando-as com oportunidades de pesquisa e extensão que contribuam para a sustentabilidade no município de Divinópolis. Essa abordagem pode ser adequada às mais diversas instituições de ensino e pesquisa e à realidade dos municípios em que estão inseridas. Propomos ainda uma reflexão sobre o papel da universidade e da administração pública na fixação do paradigmacontemporâneo da sustentabilidade.

We analyzed the overlap of the range of Pygochelidon melanoleuca in Brazil with active and planned hydropower plants in the country (current and future scenarios). We used the Random Forest, Maxent and Support Vector Machine algorithms to model the potential range of the species, which we then overlapped with the locations of active and planned hydropower plants in order to calculate how much the potential area of this species is and will be affected by them. Approximately 35% of active hydropower plants currently overlap with the potential distribution area of P. melanoleuca, and 44% of planned hydropower plants also coincide with this area. If the implementation of the planned hydropower plants occurs, the suitable habitat necessary for nesting and foraging of P. melanoleuca will be severely compromised.

Many studies have shown the positive and negative impacts of feeding wild birds using feeders; however, none of them considered case studies in Brazil. In 2020, social isolation measures imposed by COVID-19 boosted Brazilians’ interest in bird feeders, encouraging a group of birders to create an event (called JaneLives) to broadcast simultaneous live images of feeders across the country. Using the structure of JaneLives and relying on volunteers, we investigated which species visit Brazilian bird feeders, and discussed the effectiveness of our opportune citizen science initiative implemented during this event. Forty-eight feeders (19 urban and 29 non-urban) included in six biomes were sampled during nine JaneLives sessions (May–November 2020). The audience watched 133 species, 104 of which were visiting feeders. Non-urban feeders ( n = 94) had higher richness than urban feeders ( n = 68), but there were shared and unique species in both strata. Thraupidae, Turdidae, small, and medium birds (< 90 g) were the most common at the feeders. Owners of 23 feeders did data sampling at least once, while the other 25 feeders were sampled by 25 online birders (94.8% of their bird records were reliable). The narration that accompanied each JaneLives session enabled the audience to learn about Brazilian birds and increased environmental awareness. Audience numbers declined over the events, but the number of online birders was not affected. Ecolodges and parks that broadcasted their feeders received new clients afterwards. The events generated social interaction and pragmatic discussions about the usage of feeders, indicating that our citizen science initiative has potential for future research. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43388-022-00094-1.