Studies of Brazilian birds along altitudinal gradients: a critical review

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“…Of these, Silva (1995a) detected 46 non-breeders that he classified as migrants or altitudinal visitors, in three groups: from North America; from southern South America; and from elsewhere in Brazil, e.g., elevational migrants from austral regions that move lower in winter (Antas 1983, Silva 1995a. The latter comprise the least-known group, possibly due to their lower abundance and overlooked movements, as well as logistical factors such as the small numbers of researchers and limited access to some areas (Schunck et al 2023).…”

“…Despite the efforts of several authors, major gaps in the understanding of these movements remain, including their dynamics and ecology (Somenzari et al 2018). Elevational (or altitudinal) migration has been reported in Brazil since the 1800s and, principally in the last decades, copious observations have referred to this behaviour in different species, although few standardised studies have been published (Collar et al 1992, Alves 2007, Barçante et al 2017, Schunck et al 2023. These movements are generally attributed to climatic factors and the availability of food resources, some species migrating lower or inland to warmer climes in winter.…”

“…These movements are generally attributed to climatic factors and the availability of food resources, some species migrating lower or inland to warmer climes in winter. Evidence for such migration comes mainly from the Atlantic Forest coastal mountains in south-east Brazil, but also from some upland plateaux in Amazonia (Willis 1988, Silva 1993, Aleixo & Galetti 1997, Bencke & Kindel 1999, Schunck et al 2023.…”

“…Although mentioned by Schunck et al (2023) as a potentially highly productive area for studies on seasonal elevational movements, most of the Cerrado, except in parts of south-east Brazil, lack observational data on this phenomenon. Patterns of migration in this landscape are still very poorly known, especially in Goiás and its environs (Silva 1995b Bagno & Rodrigues 1998).…”