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Alagoas Antwren snowi: a new locality and remarks on its conservation The Pernambuco Centre10 comprises the north of the rio São Francisco in the states of Alagoas, Pernambuco, Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte. This is the most deforested part of the Atlantic Forest biome, with mostly small (<500 ha) forest fragments within an urban and

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agriculture matrix5,11. Submontane (1,316 km2) and the four known 2. FIBGE (Fundação Instituto forests above >500 m harbour localities are all widely spread. Brasileiro de Geografia e many endemic taxa, especially of Alagoas Antwren may occur Estatística) (1995) Mapa da birds7. Avian studies in these elsewhere in similar forest above vegetação do Brasil. Rio de forests are rather recent, and only 500 m, e.g. Serra dos Mascarenhas, Janeiro: Ministério do commenced in earnest when four Lagoa dos Gatos, Amaraji, Bonito, Planejamento e Orçamento/ taxa were described from Murici, Brejo dos Cavalos, Maraial and FIBGE. Alagoas, c.30 years ago: Alagoas Usina Serra Grande. Like Alagoas 3. Ministério do Meio Ambiente Foliage-gleaner Philydor novaesi, Antwren, Terenura sicki and (2003) Instrução normativa Orange-bellied Antwren Terenura Phylloscartes ceciliae are only Nº 3, de 27 de maio de 2003. sicki, Alagoas Antwren found at higher elevations. Both Diário Oficial da União Seção Myrmotherula snowi and Alagoas occur at Serra Grande and Serra 1 101: 88–97. Tyrannulet Phylloscartes ceciliae. dos Mascarenhas (Engenho Água 4. Mazar Barnett, J., Carlos, C. J. More recently, all these were Azul) but despite intensive effort & Roda, S. A. (2005) Renewed found in Pernambuco, at Mata do Alagoas Antwren has not been hope for the threatened Estado, São Vicente Férrer6,8 and found at these localities. avian endemics of northeast- Frei Caneca private reserve at Independent of forest type (open ern . Biodiver. & Jaqueira4. Alagoas Antwren is ombrophyllous forest at Murici Conserv. 14: 2265–2274. considered Critically Endangered and semi- deciduous seasonal forest 5. Ranta, P., Blom, T., Niemela, J., at global and national levels1, 3. in Engenho Jussará, Frei Caneca Joensuu, E. & Siitonen, M. We conducted ornithological and Mata do Estado2) Alagoas (1998) The fragmented research at Engenho Jussará Antwren appears to be exclusively Atlantic rain forest of Brazil: (08017’S 35035’W), Gravatá munici- found in higher altitude forests. size, shape and distribution pality, Pernambuco, which Only two of the four sites where of forest fragments. Biodiver. harbours several forest fragments Alagoas Antwren is known are & Conserv. 7: 385–403. at different stages of succession, nominally protected: Murici and 6. Roda, S. A. (2002) Aves totalling 400 ha. Most of the area Frei Caneca. To guarantee the endêmicas e ameaçadas de is second growth, with occasional ’ conservation, the other extinção no estado de trees reaching 35 m in more areas should be made conservation Pernambuco. In: Tabarelli, M. mature patches. This forest is units. Engenho Jussará also & Silva, J. M. C. (eds.) classified as ‘semi-deciduous harbours Phylloscartes ceciliae, Diagnóstico da biodiversi- seasonal forest’2. A three- day White-backed Fire- eye Pyriglena dade de Pernambuco. Recife: survey (22–24 April 2005) recorded leuconota pernambucensis, Pinto’s Sec. Ciência, Tecnologia e 104 species9. On 22 April, an Spinetail Synallaxis infuscata and Meio Ambiente & Ed. Alagoas Antwren was heard in a Buff-breasted Tody-Tyrant Massangana. forest fragment known as Mata do Hemitriccus mirandae. 7. Roda, S. A. (2003) Aves do Benedito, within a steep narrow Centro de Endemismo valley that has a small creek in its Acknowledgements Pernambuco: composição, bottom and a dense understorey of Aarão Lins de Andrade Filho, biogeografia e conservação. lianas. An adult male was owner of Engenho Jussará, kindly Ph.D. thesis. Belém: attracted by playback, but no permitted our work, and Bruno Universidade Federal do further records were made during Tenório da Silva joined us in the Pará. the survey despite use of playback. field. We thank Fábio Olmos and 8. Roda, S. A., Carlos, C. J. & All available data show Alagoas Luiz Gonzaga for comments on the Rodrigues, R. C. (2003) New Antwren inhabits wet forests manuscript, Weber Girão for data and noteworthy records for commonly clouded in mist, usually from Murici, and M. Dantas for some endemic and near small creeks where the revising our English. The Fundo threatened birds in the undergrowth is rich in lianas (SAR Nacional do Meio Ambiente and Atlantic forest of northeast- pers. obs.). At Murici it associates Programa Espécies Ameaçadas da ern Brazil. Bull. Brit. Orn. with mixed-species flocks (W. Girão Mata Atlântica (Biodiversitas/ Club 123: 227–236. pers. obs.) and at Mata do Estado CEPAN/CEPF) financially 9. Roda, S. A., Pereira, G. A. & usually with White- flanked supported our work, and CEPAN, Dantas, S. (2005) Aves do Antwren Myrmotherula axillaris, Conservação Internacional- BR and Engenho Jussará, PE. Sér. where they were mist-netted BirdLife/SAVE provided institu- Relatórios da Avifauna 8, together by SAR in October 1999. tional support. relatório técnico. Recife: At Frei Caneca and Murici M. Centro de Pesquisas snowi has been recorded several References Ambientais do Nordeste times in family groups5, and 1. BirdLife International (2004) (www.cepan.org.br/relatorios). sometimes away from creeks (SAR Threatened birds of the world 10. Silva, J. M. C. & Castelletti, C. pers. obs.). 2004. CD- ROM. Cambridge, H. M. (2003) Status of the Even now, the known range of UK: BirdLife International. biodiversity of the Atlantic Alagoas Antwren is very small Forest of Brazil. In: Galindo-

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Leal, C. & Câmara, I. G. (eds.) The Atlantic Forest of South America: biodiversity status, trends, and outlook. Washington DC: Center for Applied Biodiversity Science & Island Press. 11. Silva, J. M. C. &. Tabarelli, M. (2000) Tree species impover- ishment and the future flora of the Atlantic forest of northeast Brazil. Nature 404: 72–74.

Sônia Aline Roda Centro de Pesquisas Ambientais do Nordeste, Rua Nogueira de Souza 190/102, Pina, CEP 51110–110, Recife, PE, Brazil. E- mail: [email protected].

Glauco Alves Pereira and Sidnei de Melo Dantas Observadores de Aves de Pernambuco, Av. Agamenon Magalhães 28, QC-13, Engenho Maranguape, CEP 53423–440, Paulista, PE, Brazil. E-mails: [email protected] and [email protected].

Received 2 May 2006; final revision accepted 23 June 2008 (published online 4 March 2009)

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