Bird species distribution and conservation in Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

SummaryWe studied the distribution of birds along an altitudinal gradient ranging from 800 m to 1,400 m on two slopes of the Serra do Cipó , Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Ornithological surveys were conducted over transects covering open (cerrado, campo rupestre) and forested (gallery and Atlantic forest) habitats from 1994 to 2000. We found 273 bird species belonging to 51 families. Twenty-two species were restricted to higher elevations and 84 species were detected on only one slope, depending on the vegetation type they inhabited. We recorded 104 species occurring on both slopes, while 61 species were considered altitudinal generalists. Six species, including Hyacinth Visorbearer Augastes scutatus and Cipó Canastero Asthenes luizae were restricted to the highest parts of Serra do Cipó , a fragile habitat important to endemic birds of the Espinhaço Range. In the past 10 years, the Serra do Cipó region has suffered human impacts on a large scale, and conservation action must be developed to protect the fauna and flora confined to the area.

Importance of Interhabitat Gaps and Stepping‐Stones for Lesser Woodcreepers (Xiphorhynchus fuscus) in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

“…This species is a resident insectivorous bird that inhabits mature and second‐growth Atlantic forests (Goerck 1999, Melo‐Júnior et al 2001, del Hoyo et al 2003). It weights 15.5–25 g and presents no apparent sexual dimorphism (del Hoyo et al 2003).…”

A new species of Cinclodes from the Espinhaço Range, southeastern Brazil: insights into the biogeographical history of the South American highlands

“…Understanding of Espinhaço birds has increased greatly in recent years (Melo‐Júnior et al . , Vasconcelos et al . , Vasconcelos & Rodrigues ).…”

The effects of forest-savanna-grassland gradients on bird communities of Chiquitano Dry Forests domain, in western Brazil

“…In general, the results of this study showed that vegetation gradients in mountains affect the local distribution and abundance of bird species, and consequently the composition and structure of bird communities (Navarro 1992, Blake and Loiselle 2000, Melo-Júnior et al 2001, Mallet-Rodrigues et al 2010). In the Serra da Bodoquena, a mountainous region also located in the western Brazil, the bird communities are organized in relation to local vegetation gradients, with communities of forests, savannas and grasslands (Godoi et al 2016).…”

“…DE SOUZA topography and soil (Navarro 1992, Blake andLoiselle 2000). In these regions, the diversity and composition of bird communities could present spatial variations in relation to the presence and distribution of different vegetation types (Navarro 1992, Blake and Loiselle 2000, Melo-Júnior et al 2001, Mallet-Rodrigues et al 2010.…”