Perlo - A field guide to the birds of Brazil

A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF BRAZIL

BER VAN PERLO Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford Universitys objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York
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198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Perlo, Ber van.
A field guide to the birds of Brazil / Ber van Perlo.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-530154-0; 978-0-19-530155-7 (pbk.)
1.

BirdsBrazilIdentification. I. Title.
QL689.B8P44 2009
598.0981dc22 2008018823 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in China
on acid-free paper

Note: the plates in this book are mainly aimed at showing together similar-looking species or species from the same area or habitat, but are not based on an accepted sequence of species or a systematic classification in families. Yet it might be worthwile to mention that recently, based on DNA research, several genera were transported, for instance, from the familiy of Thraupidae to Cardinalidae, and from Emberizidae to Thraupidae. This is not yet reflected in the English names; therefore it might be possible that in the future, for example, the name of finches now placed in the family of the tanagers might be changed to tanager-finches. This book should be treated as a field guide in which the information needed to identify a bird at the moment you observe it is given in a condensed form.

The books low weight and compact size make it easy to carry around and consult in the field. Help in identifying difficult species can be found in more detailed regional bird books, which can be consulted at home or on the road. Sound recordings from commercial CDs and DVDs transferred to your iPod or other MP3 player can be an important supplementary aid in the field. To compose a work like this single-handedly, you need the support and help of dedicated friends. I was very lucky to find people willing to coach me through the process of composing the book, comment on its structure, supply basic and additional information about the avifauna and geography of Brazil, send hundreds of reference photos, both of living birds and museum specimens, point out important websites, and suggest improvements, corrections, and additions to plates, maps, and draft text. It is, however, not their responsibility but mine if the book contains errors.

My heartfelt thanks go to Rasmus Bgh in Denmark, my indefatigable supporter in every respect, who solved taxonomic puzzles, found difficult-to-trace articles, provided many photos, and supplied numerous contributions especially to the sections on identification features and habitats. I am also extremely thankful to my Brazilian friends: to Fabio Olmos, who helped revise this guide with the support of the Wetlands Trust/UK and the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de So Paulo (MZUSP), for his prompt, authoritative comments on draft text and plates and for the many photos of museum specimens and Brazilian landscapes; and to Fernando C. Straube and Alberto Urben-Filho, who sorted out systematic riddles and gave extensive suggestions for improvement of text and plates. I thank Doug Stotz for his comments on my draft text and plates; Andy Foster, bird guide and owner of the Serra dos Tucanos lodge, who introduced me to the wonderful Brazilian bird world; Nicholas Locke, President of R.E.G.U.A. (Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Assu, which protects one of the last stands of tropical rainforest left in the severely depleted Atlantic Rainforest), whose help is greatly appreciated; and Bernard Geling, owner of the site www.birdsounds.nl , for his contributions. Research was done at the British Museum of Natural History in Tring, where the support and assistance of the staff, especially of Robert Prys-Jones and Katrina Cook, was very helpful.

In going through the collection in Tring, Krys Kazmierczak, my old friend from A Fieldguide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, lent me a hand; his help and his other contributions to this work are very much appreciated. I am also grateful to Peter J. Prescott, senior editor at Oxford University Press, who made the achievement of this work possible, and to Kaity Cheng, Alycia Somers, Tisse Takagi, editorial assistants, and to all the other people at Oxford University Press that I came into contact with for all their help and their patience with me. Eu sou muito grato a Sra. Sonia Silva Maia de Cachoeiras de Macacu pela ajuda com as tradues para o portugus.

A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF BRAZIL 1 BRAZIL: THE AREA COVERED1.1 Country Profile Brazil is a very large countrythe worlds fifth in surface area (3.3 million square miles or 8.5 million square km)with a population of probably greater than 190 million (sixth largest in the world). A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF BRAZIL 1 BRAZIL: THE AREA COVERED1.1 Country Profile Brazil is a very large countrythe worlds fifth in surface area (3.3 million square miles or 8.5 million square km)with a population of probably greater than 190 million (sixth largest in the world).

Most people live in the eastern parts of the country, especially in the states of So Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The federative republic of Brazil can be divided into five major regions (Sul, Centro-Oueste, Sudeste, Nordeste, and Norte) comprising 26 states and the Distrito Federal of Brasilia (). FIGURE 1 Overview of Brazil 1.2 Biogeography This paragraph gives a short overview of the factors that determine the presence and distribution of bird species in Brazil. 1.2.1 CLIMATE Based on temperature and rainfall (), it is possible to distinguish several regions in Brazil with different climatic conditions. Equatorial zone. In the equatorial zone in the north the annual average temperature lies between 24 and 27 C with little seasonal variation, while the annual average rainfall is high (> 3000 mm). In the eastern subregion (where the equator enters the country near Belm), the rainfall in the wet season (JanuaryMay) is 10 times higher ( 500 mm per month) than in the dry season ( 50 mm per month in SeptemberNovember).

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