Brazil has one of the greatest bird diversities in the world, with around 1,800 species. However, many species are now threatened by illegal capture and trade that is largely driven by the culture of keeping wild birds as pets. This study documents the nature and purpose of bird capture and trade in the semi-arid Caatinga biome in northeastern Brazil, which has around 510 bird species and a population of around 25 million people. Data were obtained through observation in the homes of bird keepers and at open air markets, as well as through semi-structured and open-ended interviews and informal conversations with 52 wild bird keepers. We recorded 38 species of birds kept as pets in this study. The family with the largest number of species recorded was the Emberizidae (29%), followed by the Columbidae (16%) and the Psittacidae (16%). The most frequently kept species were: Paroaria dominicana, Aratinga cactorum, Icterus jamacaii, Sporophila albogularis, Turdus rufiventris and Cyanocompsa brissonii, which are all native to this region. Among the recorded species, only Pintassilgo (Carduelis yarrellii) is listed as an endangered species in Brazil. Of the people interviewed, 32% observed a reduction in abundance, or disappearance, of several bird species in the region. The need for measures aimed at the sustainability of wild avifauna use is therefore evident. These include law enforcement, commercial breeding and environmental education, of which the last is considered the most likely to be effective.

ABSTRACT. Seasonality of insects in the semi-arid Caatinga of northeastern Brazil. Insects are essential to tropical ecosystems functioning. In semi-arid regions, the increase in abundance and/or activity (e.g. reproduction and foraging behavior) of insects is usually associated with climatic variables. The present study investigates which climatic variables are best predictors of insect abundance in an area of Caatinga in northeastern Brazil. Individuals were sampled for 24 months using Malaise and pitfall traps, and beating trays. A total of 58925 individuals belonging to 20 insect orders were collected. The most abundant orders were Hymenoptera, Diptera, Collembola and Coleoptera. Most orders studied showed a clear maximum abundance in the rainy season. Rainfall and humidity were the best predictors of insect abundance in the Caatinga. However, no climatic variable could explain Psocoptera and Blattodea variance in abundance/activity. Our results suggest that climatic changes associated with rainfall patterns in the Caatinga may affect ecosystem processes and services that depend direct or indirectly on insect abundance/activity. KEYWORDS. Abundance; climatic variables; insect availability; Neotropical region. RESUMO. Sazonalidade de insetos na Caatinga do Nordeste Brasileiro. Os insetos são abundantes e essenciais para o funcionamento dos ecossistemas terrestres tropicais. No entanto, a abundância e/ou atividade (e.g. reprodução ou forrageio) destes organismos podem ser fortemente influenciadas pelas variáveis climáticas. Este estudo examina quais as variáveis climáticas podem atuar como preditoras da abundância e/ou atividade dos insetos em uma área de Caatinga do Nordeste brasileiro. Ao longo de 24 meses, os insetos foram coletados mensalmente utilizando armadilhas Malaise, armadilhas tipo "pitfall" e guarda-chuva entomológico. Um total de 58925 indivíduos de 20 ordens foi coletado. As ordens mais abundantes foram Hymenoptera, Diptera, Collembola e Coleoptera. Entre as doze ordens mais abundantes, dez apresentaram os seus maiores picos durante a estação chuvosa. A precipitação e a umidade relativa foram os principais preditores dos padrões de abundância e/ou atividade dos insetos na caatinga. Nenhuma variável climática foi relacionada com o número de indivíduos coletados de Psocoptera e Blattodea. Os efeitos das variáveis climáticas sobre os insetos sugerem que alterações no clima da caatinga, especialmente em seu padrão de precipitação, podem afetar os serviços ecossistêmicos que dependem direta e indiretamente da abundância e/ou atividade destes organismos.PALAVRAS-CHAVE. Abundância; disponibilidade de insetos; região Neotropical; variáveis climáticas.

SummaryBrazil’s rich biological and cultural diversity makes it an exceptional location for examining the commerce in live wild birds and its implications for conservation. This paper catalogues the live bird species being traded in Brazil, characterises the trade in these animals, and discusses the implications for avian conservation. In spite of being illegal, capturing and selling birds is still a very common practice in Brazil and involves many actors who make up part of a large commercial network that distributes wild animals to every corner of the country. Our survey revealed that at least 295 bird species are illegally sold as pets in Brazil, with estimates derived from this data pointing to a total of more than 400 species - about 23% of the number of extant bird species in the country. Of the bird species recorded, two were classified as “Critically Endangered”, nine as “Endangered”, six as “Vulnerable”, and 19 as “Near Threatened” according to the most recent IUCN Red List. Most of the species recorded in this study as being widely bought and sold (including on the international market) are not listed by CITES even though many of them are in fact threatened. In light of the widespread illegal trade in wild birds in Brazil and the conservation implications for the species involved, there is an urgent need for actions that can control these activities. Steps should be taken to address the illegal traffic directly and these must include monitoring, law enforcement, effective sentencing (including deterrent sentences), targeting end-users, captive breeding, and education at all levels, taking into account the cultural, economic, social, and ecological aspects of the human populations involved.

A captura de aves silvestres é uma prática bastante comum no Nordeste brasileiro e envolve diversas técnicas de caça, as quais são adotadas conforme o tipo de espécie e a finalidade a que se destina o animal captuado. Esta pesquisa buscou caracterizar as técnicas de captura de aves utilizadas por populações urbano-rurais na região do Seridó Ocidental, no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. A área de estudo englobou os municípios de Caicó, São João do Sabugi, Serra Negra do Norte, Timbaúba dos Batistas. As informações foram obtidas entre os meses de setembro de 2009 e março de 2010 através de entrevistas semiestruturadas aplicadas a 120 moradores locais que utilizavam ou interagiam com aves silvestres de alguma forma. Foram identificadas 11 técnicas de captura: “assaprã”, “manual”, “visgo”, “arapuca”, “arremedo”, “espera”, “fôjo”, “sangra”, “rede”, caça ativa noturna e caça com cachorros. O assaprã, a espera e a manual foram as técnicas mais disseminadas na área de estudo, apresentando, respectivamente, 76, 43 e 39 citações. Os sertanejos detêm um conjunto de informações relacionadas às aves, tais como habitat, alimentação, período do ano e técnicas apropriadas para a captura, que são de suma importância para o sucesso na atividade cinegética. Assim, o conhecimento dos diferentes tipos de técnicas de captura é importante para definir quais as melhores estratégias poderão ser adotadas pelos órgãos ambientais, de modo a garantir tanto a sobrevivência das espécies utilizadas quanto das comunidades que delas dependem.

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BackgroundAt least 511 species of birds occur in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil and many of them interact with human populations in a number of different ways, including their use in zootherapeutics and their links with local beliefs.ObjectiveThe present work examined these types of birds/human interactions (use in zootherapeutics and their links with local beliefs) in the semiarid region of Rio Grande do Norte State in northeastern Brazil.MethodsInformation was obtained through semi-structured interviews with 120 local residents.ResultsA total of 16 wild bird species distributed among 11 families were found to interact directly with humans, with Columbidae being the best represented family. Seven species were identified in the medicinal category, five were related to symbolic aspects, while four species were identified as being related to both categories (medicinal and symbolic).ConclusionThe accumulated folk knowledge, beliefs, and practices involving the avifauna in the semiarid region of Brazil, whether symbolic or medicinal, demonstrated the cultural importance of this vertebrate group to local human populations and revealed a belief system intrinsically related to cynegetic practices in the region.Portuguese abstractIntroduçãoNo semiárido do Brasil ocorrem 511 espécies de aves, algumas das quais interagem frequentemente com as populações humanas locais de diferentes formas, incluindo o uso como zooterápico e a inserção em crenças.ObjetivoEsta pesquisa registrou as aves diretamente associadas a essas formas de interação (o uso como zooterápico e a inserção em crenças) na região semiárida do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Nordeste do Brasil.MétodosAs informações foram obtidas através de entrevistas semiestruturadas aplicadas a 120 moradores locais.ResultadosForam registradas 16 espécies de aves silvestres distribuídas em 11 famílias, sendo Columbidae a que apresentou o maior número de representantes. Sete espécies foram indicadas apenas na categoria medicinal, cinco espécies apenas relacionadas a aspectos simbólicos e quatro foram indicadas como relacionadas a ambas as categorias (medicinal e simbólica).ConclusãoOs conhecimentos, crenças e práticas relacionadas à avifauna no semiárido brasileiro, seja no aspecto simbólico ou medicinal, demonstra a importância cultural que esse grupo de vertebrados representa para as populações locais, revelando um sistema de crenças que está intrinsicamente relacionado às práticas cinegéticas na região.

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Scientists have long been trying to understand why the Neotropical region holds the highest diversity of birds on Earth. Recently, there has been increased interest in morphological variation between and within species, and in how climate, topography, and anthropogenic pressures may explain and affect phenotypic variation. Because morphological data are not always available for many species at the local or regional scale, we are limited in our understanding of intra‐ and interspecies spatial morphological variation. Here, we present the ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS, a data set that includes measurements of up to 44 morphological traits in 67,197 bird records from 2,790 populations distributed throughout the Atlantic forests of South America. This data set comprises information, compiled over two centuries (1820–2018), for 711 bird species, which represent 80% of all known bird diversity in the Atlantic Forest. Among the most commonly reported traits are sex (n = 65,717), age (n = 63,852), body mass (n = 58,768), flight molt presence (n = 44,941), molt presence (n = 44,847), body molt presence (n = 44,606), tail length (n = 43,005), reproductive stage (n = 42,588), bill length (n = 37,409), body length (n = 28,394), right wing length (n = 21,950), tarsus length (n = 20,342), and wing length (n = 18,071). The most frequently recorded species are Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 1,837), Turdus albicollis (n = 1,658), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 1,468), Turdus leucomelas (n = 1,436), and Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 1,384). The species recorded in the greatest number of sampling localities are Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 243), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 242), Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 210), Platyrinchus mystaceus (n = 208), and Turdus rufiventris (n = 191). ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS (ABT) is the most comprehensive data set on measurements of bird morphological traits found in a biodiversity hotspot; it provides data for basic and applied research at multiple scales, from individual to community, and from the local to the macroecological perspectives. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications or teaching and educational activities.