OCCURRENCE AND PREDICTIVE DISTRIBUTION OF Crypturellus noctivagus (AVES, TINAMIDAE) IN BRAZIL

Abstract

The Yellow-legged Tinamou (Crypturellus noctivagus) is a terrestrial forest bird endemic to Brazil currently threatened with extinction. We aimed to update and predict the potential distribution of the species in Brazil. We thus reviewed an array of scientific publications, field reports and a scitizen science database to compile available data on the occurrence of C. noctivagus in Brazil. We built a predictive distribution model using the MaxEnt algorithm and the variables temperature seasonality, percent arboreal coverage, isothermality, precipitation of driest quarter, precipitation seasonality, precipitation of wettest month and topography. The Yellow-legged Tinamou was found in 114 municipalities belonging to 11 states. The predictive model presented a distribution scenario mostly associated with the Atlantic Forest, although it also suggested the occurrence of suitable areas in the Cerrado and Pampa Biomes. The records show that some, but not all populations of C. noctivagus are currently within protected areas. This study brought together all available knowledge regarding the distribution of C. noctivagus in the wild. Ecological information regarding this group, along with the spatial distribution patterns described here, may be useful tools for the development and implementation of conservation and management actions for the species, in both regional and global scales.