Birds from cerradão woodland, an overlooked forest of the Cerrado region, Brazil

Abstract

The Cerrado region still receives relatively little ornithological attention, although it is regarded as the only tropical savanna in the world considered to be a biodiversity hotspot. Cerradão is one of the least known and most deforested Cerrado physiognomies and few recent bird surveys have been conducted in these forests. In order to rescue bird records and complement the few existing inventories of this under-studied forest type in the state of São Paulo, we looked for published papers on birds of cerradão. Additionally we surveyed birds at a 314-ha cerradão remnant located in central São Paulo, Brazil, from September 2005-December 2006 using unlimited distance transect counts. Out of 95 investigations involving cerradão bird studies, only 17 (18%) investigations teased apart bird species recorded inside cerradão from those recorded in other physiognomies of Cerrado. Except for one study, no research found more than 64 species in this type of forest, a result shared within many regions from Brazil and Bolivia. Differences in species richness do not seem be related with levels of disturbance of landscape or fragment size. Considering all species recorded in cerradão in Brazil and Bolivia, a compilation of data accumulated 250 species in 36 families and 15 orders. In recent surveys at central São Paulo, we recorded 48 species in 20 families, including the Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin Neopelma pallescens, threatened in São Paulo, and the Helmeted Manakin Antilophia galeata, near threatened in the state and endemic to the Cerrado region. Among the most abundant species inside this fragment, none was considered to be neither threatened nor endemic.

A bird survey in a transitional area between two major conservation hotspots in southeastern Brazil

“…Antunes (2007) recorded the disappearance of 9 endemic species over 30 years in a fragment of Semideciduous Forest, while the abundance of another 9 species significantly declined. Alternatively, we recorded 4 Cerrado endemic species, which was more than that recorded by Cavarzere et al (2011) at the same location; Cavarzere et al recorded only Antilophia galeata as endemic to the Cerrado. Both Cyanocorax cristatellus and Saltatricula atricollis are Cerrado endemic species that we found exclusively in the regenerating area, which is because they normally inhabit open physiognomies of savanna.…”

“…Both Cyanocorax cristatellus and Saltatricula atricollis are Cerrado endemic species that we found exclusively in the regenerating area, which is because they normally inhabit open physiognomies of savanna. Cavarzere et al (2011) did not found these species because they restricted their survey to closed physiognomies (forest savanna and semideciduous forest). Our study obtained a similar richness of endemic Cerrado taxa when compared to previous studies: 6 spp.…”

Bird sensitivity to disturbance as an indicator of forest patch conditions: An issue in environmental assessments

“…Besides, our study area is not a center of endemism for species of the Atlantic Forest (see Silva et al, 2004) and is located on the edge of the Cerrado biome where very small and few forest remnants are found (see Silva and Bates, 2002;Kronka et al, 2005). Thus, many endemic species observed here may also be found in these large biomes (Bencke et al, 2006; but see Motta-Junior et al, 2008;Cavarzere et al, 2011;Lima, 2013). These factors do not allow us to assume that all endemic species have the same tolerance to forest loss and fragmentation, and because of this, we also considered their distribution among the studied patches.…”

Carrapatos e riquétsias em parque urbano de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais: ecologia e biodiversidade associadas

“…As espécies de aves encontradas nesse estudo são típicas de Matas semideciduas e de Cerradão (Cavarzere et al 2011), incluindo três espécies endêmicas do Cerrado (Hylocryptus rectirostris, Antilophia galeata e Basileuterus leucophrys).…”