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We describe Cinclodes espinhacensis (Furnariidae), a new species discovered at high elevation in the southern portion of the Espinhaço Range, in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. This new taxon is closely related to the Long‐tailed Cinclodes Cinclodes pabsti, endemic to Serra Geral, southern Brazil. We present diagnostic morphological, genetic and vocal characters that support the rank of species for this allopatric taxon. It is readily distinguishable from C. pabsti by its much darker back, chest and flanks, lower body mass, shorter tarsus‐length, lower frequency of vocalizations, and longer duration of calls. DNA sequence data estimate that the divergence time between this new species and Cinclodes pabsti occurred c. 220 000 years ago, during the late Pleistocene. This discovery illustrates remarkable biogeographical connections among the cold regions of South America. The new species has a restricted range and we suggest it meets the criteria of the IUCN Red List category of Endangered.

We surveyed the avifauna of Alto do Palácio, Serra do Cipó National Park, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The park lies in the southern Espinhaço range, a significant biogeographical barrier that separates the forest areas of the Atlantic Forest on its eastern slope and the savanna-like vegetation of the Cerrado to its western slope. Representative habitats include open grasslands, with patches of rocky outcrops and woodlands. We recorded 151 species between 2007 and 2010. Most species occurred in woodlands, with the minority in rocky outcrops, eleven species are of conservation concern, nineteen are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, three to Cerrado, and four to the southeastern Brazilian mountaintops, two of which are restricted to campos rupestres of the Espinhaço range. Our results corroborate that the campos rupestres of the Espinhaço range are not only associated with the Cerrado biome, but harbor species associated with both surrounding biomes (Cerrado and Atlantic Forest) and to the mountaintops of southeastern Brazil, supporting the uniqueness of this vegetation type.

Birds in the genus Cinclodes are habitat specialists, with most restricted to the highlands of South America. The recently described Cipo Cinclodes (C. espinhacensis) is isolated in the southern Espinhaço Range of Brazil and is considered Endangered in Brazil and Near Threatened by the IUCN, but as a subspecies of Long‐tailed Cinclodes (C. pabsti). We examined the population and spatial ecology of Cipo Cinclodes at two geographic scales to improve our understanding of their basic biology and conservation status. We monitored 30 birds at Serra do Breu and found relatively large home ranges (mean = 9.3 ha), a density of paired adults of 0.09/ha, a male‐skewed adult sex ratio (males/total adults = 0.57) due to territories occupied by unpaired males, and long‐term site fidelity. Cipo Cinclodes used all habitat types available in our study area, including rocky outcrops, grasslands, and riparian areas, but habitat selection analyses revealed the importance of riparian areas for foraging and rocky outcrops for nesting. At the species distribution scale, we compiled known and novel recorded occurrence points and used them to calculate the extent of occurrence (EOO) and the area of occupancy (AOO). We used a Maxent species distribution model to generate a binary map to estimate upper limits for EOO (EOO around the model predicted area) and AOO (comprised by the model predicted area within the EOO). We obtained 41 locations, resulting in an EOO of 890.7 km2 (up to 1748.7 km2) and an AOO of 100 km2 (up to 327.5 km2). The global population is estimated to be between 880 and 2882 birds, which is concerning because small populations are at risk of extinction due to demographic stochasticity, genetic drift, and the interaction of these factors. As such, our results support the designation of Cipo Cinclodes as Endangered on the Brazilian red list.

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The Cipo Cinclodes Cinclodes espinhacensis is a recently described furnariid endemic to the campos rupestres of Serra do Cipó, southern Espinhaço Range, southeastern Brazil. It is an "Endangered" species and its natural history is poorly known. We studied the Cipo Cinclodes breeding biology at Serra do Breu, where we found six nests on rock outcrops in 2009 and 2012. At least one nest was reused in different years. Breeding season was from September (nest building) to January (dependent juveniles). Nests were shallow cups or beds placed in chambers at the end of earthen and/or rocky tunnels or crevices on rock outcrops. Clutch size was 2-3 eggs. It exhibited biparental care during all nest stages. We demonstrated that the nesting habits of Cipo Cinclodes agree with those reported for other species of the genus, although some details differ from what is known for the closely related species, the Long-tailed Cinclodes Cinclodes pabsti.

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