J. Field Ornithol., 66(3):363-369

OBSERVATIONS OF RARE RAPTORS IN SOUTHERN ATLANTIC OF

JORGEL. B. ALBUQUERQUE Departamentode Genbtica Universidade Federal do Caixa Postal 15053 91505 PortoAlegre, RS, Brasil

Abstract.--The Serra do Tabuleiro, Santa Catarina, South Brazil, is one of the least disturbed areasof the southernAtlantic rainforest.The Serra do Tabuleiro is the third largestremnant left in pristineconditions of the BrazilianAtlantic rainforest.During the lastyears, rare and endangeredspecies such as the (Harpya harpyja),the Ornate Hawk Eagle (Spi- zaetusornatus), and the BlackHawk Eagle (Spizaetustyrannus) were recordedin the region. Harpy Eagleshave been recordedsince 1962, includingrecords in 1980 and 1989, which suggestthat there maystill exista populationin the slopesand gorgescovered with Montane Atlantic Rain Forestand probablyin other coastalmountains of SantaCatarina. Information on additionalpoorly known raptors is also given. The recent presenceof Harpy Eagle ur- gently calls for an effectiveconservation action in the Serra do Tabuleiro region. Harpy Eagle is an indicator of a still intact ecosystem.

OBSERVACIONES SOBRE LAS AVES DE RAPIliA RARAS EN LA FLORESTA ATLJ2qTICA DEL SURESTE DE BRASIL Sinopsis.--LaSierra de Tabuleiro, en Santa Catarina, Brasil,es el tercer mayor fragmento de bosquepluvial de la florestadel Atl•mticobrasilefio y una de las fireasmenos perturbadas. Durante los filtimos aftos, hah sido ducumentadasen dicha localidad especiesraras yen peligro de extinci6n tales como la arpfa (Harpya harpyja),y otras •tguilascomo Spizaelus tyrannus,y S. ornatus.Las arpiashah sido informadasdesde el 1962 con registrosen 1980 y 1989, 1oque sugiereque pueda existiruna poblacibnde estasen laspendientes y gargantas cubiertascon bosque pluvial montano de la Sierra de Tabuleiro y posiblementeen otras montafiascostaneras de Santa Catarina. La presenciadel •tguila arpia en la regi6n hace urgente un plan efectivode conservaci6npara la Sierra de Tabuleiro, ya que el ave es un indicador de ecosistemas intactos.

OBSERVACOESSOBRE AVES DE RAPINA RARASNA FLORESTA ATL,h_NTICA DO SUDESTE DO BRASIL Sinopse.•A Serra do Tabuleiro, em Santa Catarina, 6 uma das •treasmenos impactadasna FlorestaAtl•mtica do sudestedo Brasil. Ela 6 o terceiro maior fragmento desta formac5o florestalainda em condic6esprimitivas na FlorestaAtl•mtica Brasileira. Aves de rapina amea- gadas,tais como o Gavi•o-real( Harpya harpyja),o Gavi•o-de-penacho( Spizaetus tyrannus) e o Gavi•o-pega-macaco(Spizaetus tyrannus) foram registradasna regifio nos filtimos anos. Gavi6es-reaisvem sendo registradosna 5tea desde 1962, com registrosem 1980 e 1989, o que sugerepoder aindaexistir uma populac•onas encostas e gargantascobertas corn Floresta Atl•tnticaMontana da Serra do Tabuleiro e, possivelmenteem outrasmontanhas costeiras de SantaCatarina. Informag6es sobre outras aves de rapina rarassilo fornecidas. A presenga recentedo Gavi•o-realpede a urgSnciade ag6esde conservag•ona Serrado Tabuleiro,pois • um indicador de ecossistemas ainda intactos.

The Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest is a lowland and montane forest stretchingalong the Brazilian Atlantic coastfrom Rio Grande do Norte State (7%) to Rio Grande do Sul (30%). Perhapsno other region in South America has as large a number of endemic (Cracraft 1985, Ridgely and Tudor 1989). Today only 8.81% of its original area still remains.At

363 364] J.L.B. Albuquerque J.Field Ornithol. Summer 1995 the presentthe Atlantica Rain Forestis divided into 456 fragments(S.O.S. Mata Atlantica, unpubl.; Fonseca1985). Eight of these remnantsare con- sideredtop priority conservationzones because of their large areas (rang- ing from 12 to 32,000 km2). The Parque Estadualda Serra do Tabuleiro (27ø41'-28ø04'S, 48ø34'-48ø55'W), located in Santa Catarina State, is the third largest top priority conservationzone (S.O.S. Mata Atlantica, un- publ.). The Serra do Tabuleiro is a large U-shaped mountain range near the City of Florian6polis.This area is protected by law as a 90,000-ha State ForestPark, becausemost of the water supplyof the Florian6poliscomes from the Serra do Tabuleiro. The Tabuleiro range harbors five of the six main ecosystemsfrom Santa Catarina (Klein 1984), including: Montane Atlantic Rain Forest, restingain the coast,cloud forests,Arauc/tria Forest and camposde altitude (high elevationgrassy areas) (Klein 1981, 1984). The park list includes269 species(46% of the birds from Santa Catarina) (J. L. B. Albuquerque, unpubl. data; Bege and Marterer 1991). The region still shelterssome of the most pristine areasin southeastern Brazil as the following accountswill illustrate.The fact that the Tabuleiro is protected by law as a park does not prevent logging companiesfrom operating in severalsectors of the park. The remnant Arauc/triaForests in the SW sectorsof the area, for example, have been almost totally dev- astatedby logging. Large raptors such as the Harpy Eagle (Harpya harpyja), the Black Hawk-Eagle(Spizaetus tyrannus), and the Ornate Hawk-Eagle(Spizaetus ornatus), are considered rare and endangered speciesin southeastern Brazil (Sick 1969, 1985). Harpy Eaglesand Ornate Hawk-Eagleswere con- sideredprobably extinct in Rio Grande do Sul (Belton 1984, 1985). The designationas extinct in southeasternBrasil might be premature in light of the recent re-discoveryof nestingHarpy Eaglesin Missiones, by Chebez et al. (1990). The statusof large raptors is unknown within most of their range in Brazil (Albuquerque 1986). These raptors are as- sociated with undisturbed communities, such as in the Man6 National Park in westAmazon (Terborgh et al. 1990). The goalsof this paper are to report recent records of these speciesand other selected speciesof birds of prey in the Parque Estadualda Serra do Tabuleiro, Santa Catar- ina, Brazil, and to discuss the relevance of these recent records to the conservationof the region.

STUDY AREA AND METHODS The studywas conductedduring 21 mo from April 1989 to December 1990 in the northern sectorsof the Parqud Estadualda Serra do Tabuleiro in the localityof Caldasda Imperatriz (27ø44'S,48ø49'W; 140-400 m el- evation).An earlier surveywas done from 26 Aug. to 6 Sept. 1987 in the Vargem do Braf•ovalley, located in the core of the park. Most of the study wasconducted in the area of Hotel Plaza Caldasda Imperatriz. Occasional visitswere made in the valley of Rio Vargem do Braf•o,inland Serra do Tabuleiro. I used 10 X 40 and 10 X 50 binoculars in my observations. Vol.66, No. 3 RareRaptors in SoutheasternBrazil [ 365

Raptors were watched from high ridges in the Caldas hills, from which thereis an extraordinaryview of the Rio •guas Clarasvalley and the slopesof Tabuleiro Peak (1071 m). The same strategywas followed in Vargem do Bra½ovalley.

RESULTS Gray-headedKite.--I have rarely recorded the Grey-headedKite (Lep- todoncayanensis) in southeasternBrazil. On 29 Aug. 1989 I observedone Gray-headedKite gliding slowlyWest-East above the headwatersof Plaza stream in Caldasda Imperatriz. Short-tailed Hawk.--I often recorded Short-tailed Hawks ( Buteo brach- iurus) in 1989 and 1990. The Short-tailedHawk is common in large for- ested areas as in the Serra do Tabuleiro. Short-tailed Hawks were record- ed on 30 and 31 Aug. 1987 in Rio Vargem do Bra•:oat 500 m elevation in secondaryforests. In June, July and Aug. 1989, a Short-tailed Hawk was observedflying, hunting and soaringabove Caldas da Imperatriz hills. On 1 Aug. 1989 one individual was seen stoopingupon an unidentified bird over the slopes.This hawk missedits prey and continued flying abovethe valley. On 14 Aug. 1989, a Short-tailed Hawk vocalized while soaring, a call sounding as "piiiiu(•(•(•" (stronger at "•(•(•"). The bird used the "still hunting" foraging behavior in which the bird soaredin place for a few secondsobserving the canopies,flapping only its wing tips. White-rumpedHawk.--White-rumped Hawks (Buteo leucorrhous)were recorded alwayshigh in the slopesof Caldas da Imperatriz, above tall secondaryand primary forest,and streams.On 31 Aug. 1987 the species was recorded in Vargem do Bra½oValley about 500 m elevation. On 10 Mar. 1989, a hawkwas seen flying high in the skyabove Plaza River, Caldas da Imperatriz. Mantied Hawk.--One individual of the rare Manded Hawk (Leucopter- nis polionota)was recorded soaringabove the slopesof Pico do Tabuleiro (500 m elevation.) in 17 Jul. 1989. It is worth mentioning one White- necked Hawk (Leucopternislacernulata), which was brought to Ibama Re- habilitation Center in April 1993 after hitting a window of a building in Florian6polis (M. Becker,pets. comm.). The latter speciesis very poorly known in Brasil (Sick 1985). B. Marterer (pers. comm.) recorded the speciesbreeding in Morro do Bad recently (26ø48'S,48ø48'W). Harpy Eagle.--Harpy Eagleswere recorded on 16 and 17 Oct. 1989. On the first day I saw a pair soaring high above Caldasda Imperatriz. During the secondday I sawone individual come from the east and soar abovethe low slopesof Pico do Tabuleiro, Caldasda Imperatriz. Besides soaring, this Harpy Eagle used "still hunting" behavior and remaining motionless, vocalizing many times ("u•ihaaau... uShaaau... uS.haaau...") when soaring. When a second individual joined the first one, it was possibleto identify the sexesof the .They were a male and a female, and both adults. Both spent the time I observed them soaring and "still hunting" above the forested hills. One individual did a "U" shapedflight over the slopes.The birdsflapped stronglywhen flying. 366] J.L.B. Albuquerque J.F•eld Ornithol. Summer 1995

BlackHawk-Eagle and OrnateHawk-Eagle.--On 30 Aug. 1987, one Or- nate Hawk-Eagle was seen soaring high in the slopesof Vargem do Braqo moving down the valley.On the same day, two Black Hawk-Eagles(Spi- zaetus tyrannus), two Ornate Hawk-Eagles,and two unidentified large black buteo-like hawkswere observedsoaring high above the slopesin- land Vargemdo Braqo.On 30 Aug. 1987, one Ornate Hawk-Eagleglided from the deep gorges SE of Vargem do Braqo towards the SW at the opposite side of the valley, where the bird remained soaring in circles. On four occasions,Black Hawk-Eaglesand Ornate Hawk-Eagleswere ob- served using "still-hunting" tactics. I recorded Black Hawk-Eaglesseveral times in Caldasda Imperatriz in 1989 and 1990. On 23 Oct. 1989 one bird was recorded flying above the streams in the low elevation slopes (about 300-400 m). Other records were on 4 Oct. (two birds soaringabove a secondaryforest in SantoAma- ro da Imperatriz), 15 Oct. and 8 Nov. 1989. P. Silva (pets. comm.) re- corded the speciescarrying an (Didelphis sp.) in Santo Amaro da Imperatriz. The most recent record of Tyrant Hawk-Eagleis an account givenby P. Silva (pets. comm.) of one bird seenon 7 Apr. 1994 in Santo Amaro da Imperatriz.

DISCUSSION The useof "still hunting"foragingbehavior.--The observations described above showed the wide use of "still hunting" by buteos, Harpy Eagles, and hawk-eaglesin the Atlantic Rain Forest of Serra do Tabuleiro. This styleof foraging behaviorhas been recorded in other neotropicaldiurnal raptors, including Gray-chestedBuzzards (Geranoaetusmelanoleucus), White-tailed Hawks (Buteoalbicaudatus), Crane Hawks ( Geranospizaca- erulescens)and PeregrineFalcons (Falco pereg•inus) all in open formations or abovegallery forests(Brown and Amadon 1968;J. L. B. Albuquerque, unpubl. data). Harpy Eaglesare not known to soar or "still hunt" in the Amazon (S. K. Robinson, pets. comm.). The reason that Harpy Eagles and the other hawk-eaglesdo soar and use "still hunting" tacticsabove the forest along the slopesof Serra do Tabuleiro is not well understood. The rugged terrain can encouragebirds to fly above the trees. Also the strongwinds in the serra may enable Harpy Eaglesand other hawk-eagles to soar and even remain motionlesshigh above the forest. The two in- dividuals observedin Caldas da Imperatriz when "still hunting" were watching the forest from above. The use of the "still hunting" strategy may enhance the chancesof spotting groups of canopy birds, troops of cebusmonkeys (Cebus apella), or other arboreal . On the distributionof Short-tailedHawk.--Terborgh (1985) observed that in the east slopesof the Andes and in Manu, Peru, the Short-tailed Hawk is usually associatedwith tall forests.He noted that the Road-side Hawk (Buteomagnirostris) is more widely distributed in secondaryforest areas.In Serra do Tabuleiro, one can find Road-sideHawks everywhere, but the Short-tailedHawk is mostlyin old secondaryand primary forest. The same situation is repeated in the City of Florian6polis,which is lo- vol.66, No..• RareRaptors in SoutheasternBrazil [367 cated very close to secondary forest covered hills (J. L. B. Albuquerque, unpubl. data). These observationssuggest that the Short-tailed Hawk can be used as an indicator of undisturbed habitats. The role of history.--Recentrecords of these rare and endangered spe- cies are very important as an argument for the conservationof Serra do Tabuleiro and nearby serras.With Harpy Eagles,the casebecomes more relevantbecause of this eagle'shistory in the region. The specieshas been recorded in the area since25 May 1962, when one specimenwas collected in Rancho Queimado, located about 25 km west from Caldas da Imper- atriz (27ø50'S,49ø03'W) (Sick et al. 1981; F. Bruggeman,pets. comm.). Another Harpy Eagle was shot in 1980 in Pi16es,north Vargem do Bravo (27ø50'S,48ø50'W; P. Silva, pers. comm.). This study reports a pair of Harpy Eagle in October 1989 in Caldas da Imperatriz. Experienced residentsof Vargem do Bravo (e.g., R. Dias, pets. comm.), knew about the presenceof Harpy Eaglesin the area. R. Dias referred to the Harpy Eagle as "Gavi5o Gato," which means cat hawk. This name alone is not proof that the person is referring to a Harpy Eagle. He describedthe Harpy Eagle'scall and mentioned that Harpy Eagleswere seen usually after cold fronts in Fall and late Winter in Vatgem do Bravo. My October 1989 record was after a cold front, and the vocalization was similar to the one described by R. Dias. It was R. Dias who first called my attention to this eagle and the hawk-eaglesin 1987. These records and accounts suggestthat the Harpy Eagle had been around the Serra do Tabuleiro for a long time. In one large forest frag- ment covered with Lowland Atlantic Rain Forest with seasonalflooding in Morro do Bino (29ø10'S, 49ø50'W), south Santa Catarina, near the slopesof Serra Geral, where is situated the Aparados da Serra National Park, there is an account of a pair of very large eaglesseen in the winter of 1992 (J. L. B. Albuquerque, unpubl. data). These data indicate that a population of Harpy Eagles may still endure in southeasternBrazil. This speculation is supported by the recent records of Harpy Eagle in Mis- siones,Argentina (Chebez et al. 1990) and in the Serra do Tabuleiro. Sick (1985) mentioned that Harpy Eaglesrecorded during winter could be migrant birds. Some researchersin Brazil maintain that Harpy Eagles migrate from Missionesto southeasternBrasil in winter (P. Martucelli, pets. comm.). This belief might result from the recent records of breed- ing eagles in Missiones(Chebez et al. 1990). I believe there are probably two populations of Harpy Eaglesin southeasternBrasil: one in the slopes of Serra Geral, Serra do Tabuleiro, and Serra do Mar; the other is in Missiones,Argentina and in Igua•fi National Park, Brazil. The two pop- ulations are separated by large tracts of soybeanfields (Albuquerque 1986). I do not believe that birds seen in Serra do Tabuleiro were in migration as Sick (1985) suggested.Instead, Arauc/tria grovesin the Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paran/t highlands are bearing pine cones in win- ter that attract many birds and mammals. Besidesthis rich food source, there are many Myrtacea trees fruiting in the same period, which together 368] J.L.B. Atbuquerque J.Field Ornithol. Summer 1995 might attract many birds and mammalsto highlands.During suchperiods one can see Rusty-marginedGuans (Penelopesuperciliaris), Red-capped (Pianopsittapileata), Red-spectacledParrots (Amazonapretre•), Red-breastedToucans (Ramphastusdiscolorus), agoutis (Dasyproctasp.), red-brocket deer (Mazama americana), and howler monkeys (Alouatta fusca) feeding in these groves.The Harpy Eagle was shot in 1962 in late Fall in Arauc/triagroves in Rancho Queimado. Thus, large raptors can be attractedto theseArauchria groves during the winter months.These birds do not necessarilyneed to be long distancemigrants as Sick (1985) sus- pected, but might result from more local movements.The presenceof Harpy Eagles in Serra do Tabuleiro during breeding seasoncan be in- ferred from an accountgiven by R. Dias (pers. comm.) of one presumed Harpy Eagle mobbed by a Swallow-tailedKite (Elanoidesforficatus).Swal- low-tailed Kites are in fact migratory birds, visiting southeasternBrazil during spring and summer when they breed (Albuquerque, unpubl. data). Thus, Harpy Eaglesand hawk-eaglescan just come from the nearby gorgesand canyonsin the slopesof Serra Geral, Serra do Tabuleiro, and Serra do Mar where they probably breed. The conservationof theregion.--The presenceof large eaglesin the area may be associatedwith the rich wildlife still living there. Solitary Tina- mous ( Tinamus solitarius),Guans (Penelopesuperciliaris and P obscura), agouties(Dacyprocta sp), coendou (Sphiggurusspinosus), troops of cebus monkeys,howler monkeys(Alouatta fusca), and (Didelphis al- biventrisand D. marsupialis)are still abundant. Big game such as tapirs (Tapirus terrestris)and capibaras (Hydrochoerushydrochaeris) are still found in Serra do Tabuleiro, as are puma (Felis concolor),ocellot (Felis pardalis), and small cats (Felis wiedii and E tig•ina) (Albuquerque, un- publ. data; Mazolli 1993). The presenceof such a diversediurnal raptor fauna in the Serra do Tabuleiro calls for attention and a more effective conservation action in the region to find a reasonableway to perpetuate the pristine conditions still found there. There is still a continuous forest cover from Os6rio, in Rio Grande do Sul coast, to along the slopesof Serra Geral, Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira. These slopesform a cor- ridor where good quality habitatsstill exist. In spite of the existenceof parksand reservesalong the Brazilian coast,very little attention has been given for this lengthy corridor along the slopesof the serras (Mazolli 1993). The slopeswhere the corridor is situatedare protected by Federal Law, but lumber companiesdo not obey the law. There is an activelobby in Brazilian Congressto invalidatea Presiden- tial Decree that forbids any logging activityin the Atlantic Rain Forest. This lobby is trying to persuadethe Congressthat sustainablemanage- ment can be conducted in the secondary forests of the Atlantic Rain Forest,which form 95% of the remainingAtlantic Rain Forest.If this lobby succeedin granting permissionfor the logging and ceramicindus- try to use the secondaryforest, we would endanger the conservationof a very diverseecosystem where Harpy Eaglesstill survive. Vol.66, No. 3 RareRaptors in SoutheasternBrazil [369

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Part of this surveywas done while I worked in the Environmental Education Office in Hotel Plaza Caldasda Imperatriz (HPCI). I thank Sr. Victor Schmidt, Director of Plaza Hoteis for giving me the chance to set up and to organize the EnvironmentalEducation Program in HPCI, and to study the birds of Caldas da Imperatriz and Serra do Tabuleiro. I thank AnnetteM. Aldousfor helpingduring the 1987survey. I thankFernando and TarcisioBrug- geman for information on Harpy Eaglesin Rancho Queimado. I thank Pedro Silvafor friend- ship and for guiding me in the wildernessof Serra do Tabuleiro. Ken Yasukawa,Scott K. Robinsonand Clayton M. White improved the manuscript.I thank Dr. Bernardo Erdtmann for guidanceand financialsupport through GENOTOX/UFRGS. I thank ConselhoNacional de Pesquisas(CNPq) for supportingmy graduatework at the Departamentode Gen•tica/ UFRGS.I thank Ana L. S. Rodriguesfor all sortsof help, support,and love.

LITERATURE CITED

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