New Records of Birds from the Northern Cordillera Central of Peru in A
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Cotinga29-080304.qxp 3/4/2008 10:50 AM Page 108 Cotinga 29 New records of birds from the northern Cordillera Central of Peru in a historical perspective Todd Mark, Louise Augustine, Javier Barrio, Jeremy Flanagan and Willem-Pier Vellinga Received 21 January 2005; final revision accepted 1 March 2007 Cotinga 29 (2008): 108–125 Se presentan los resultados de inventarios de aves realizados cerca a Leimebamba, Dept. Amazonas, en el norte de la Cordillera Central del Perú. El trabajo de campo reveló ampliaciones en los rangos de distribución para varias especies, siendo más importante el hallazgo de una nueva localidad para el Tucancillo Cejiamarillo Aulacorhynchus huallagae. Se presenta también una vocalización no descrita hasta la fecha para el Tororoi Piquipálido Grallaria carrikeri. Finalmente, se discuten los aparentes vacíos en el conocimiento sobre la distribución de aves dentro de esta región, considerada bien explorada del Perú, en un contexto histórico y se mencionan las posibili- dades para futuras investigaciones. Despite 150 years of ornithological exploration the of the northern Cordillera Central lies at its northern Cordillera Central of Peru still holds extreme southern end in dpto. Huánuco, the potential for discovery. New trails and roads in once Cordillera Carpish, which juts east pushing the inaccessible terrain provide fresh opportunity to flow of the río Huallaga into a 90º-arc known as the contribute to our knowledge of avian distribution in ‘Huallaga Bend’. Due to the biogeographical this fascinating area. We discuss the results of similarities between the northern Cordillera avian inventories undertaken near Leimebamba, Central, the Cordillera Pishcohuañuna, the dpto. Amazonas, and place these into a historical Cordillera de Colán and the Cordillera Carpish, the perspective. The paper is organised thus: the entire region can be treated as a single entity. biogeography of the northern Cordillera Central is Geographers also recognise a ‘southern’ Cordillera discussed first, then the achievements of earlier Central, which extends from south of the ‘Huallaga explorers of the region. Thereafter, the results of Bend’ through dptos. Pasco and Junin and which is our investigations of the Leimebamba area in 2000, not discussed here. 2002 and 2003 are presented, followed by a discussion and conclusions. Endemism and biogeography The northern Cordillera Central as defined above Geography of the northern Cordillera harbours numerous endemic taxa. Nevertheless, in Central of Peru terms of the Endemic Bird Area (EBA) concept39 it The Cordillera Central of the Peruvian Andes is is a ‘composite’ of several EBAs: EBA044 situated between the drainages of the upper río Ecuador–Peru East Andes, EBA046 Southern Marañón and the río Huallaga. It extends c.600 km Central Andes, EBA047 Andean ridge-top forests, from the Nudo de Pasco, dpto. Pasco (10º30’S EBA048 Marañón Valley and EBA049 North-east 76º30’W), a broad altiplano north of Lake Junín, to Peruvian cordilleras. the Pongo de Rentema, dpto. Amazonas (05º29’S Salient ecological barriers in the area include 78º31’W). Peaks in the northern Cordillera Central the North Peruvian Low created by the dry upper are comparatively low from a Peruvian perspective Marañón Valley, whose effect on avian distribution (rarely reaching 4,000 m), but the main crest lies has been described earlier17,28. The ‘Huallaga Bend’ continuously above 3,000 m. The northernmost creates similar xeric conditions at the southern end significant pass, Abra Barro Negro (06º44’S of the Cordillera Central. To the east, remnants of 77º54’W), at the divide between the Utcubamba and an ancient grassland ring that once surrounded the Marañón watersheds, reaches 3,675 m, north of Amazon Basin cover the lowest elevations of the which only a restricted area of high-elevation Mayo and Huallaga valleys just before their terrain (<550 km2 above 3,000 m) continues. confluence near the Pongo de Aguirre (06º37’S Further north-east, a low divide (<2,200 m) 76º11’W). Finally, to the west the rainshadow of the between the río Sonche (part of the main crest of the cordillera parallels the north- Utcubamba/Marañón drainage) and the río flowing río Marañón and creates xeric conditions at Huambo (part of the Huallabamba/Huallaga all elevations. drainage) isolates the Cordillera Pishcohuañuna to Seven of the ten avifaunal life zones defined for the north-east. Another low divide (<2,200 m) Peru27 occur in the northern Cordillera Central. The between the Utcubamba and Chiriaco watersheds Arid Tropical Zone (400–1,500 m) defines the north- separates the Cordillera de Colán (see Fig. 1). western edge of the cordillera, from the Pongo de Perhaps the ornithologically best-known segment Rentema (c.400 m) to the town of Chagual, dpto. La 108 Cotinga29-080304.qxp 3/4/2008 10:50 AM Page 109 Cotinga 29 New records of birds from the northern Cordillera Central of Peru Libertad (07º50’S 77º38’W; 1,200 m), as well as Thick-billed Siskin Carduelis crassirostris, appear lower parts of the Utcubamba Valley upstream to to be absent from the Cordillera Central, Pedro Ruiz, dpto. Amazonas (05º56’S 77º09’W; suggesting that the river and/or perhaps xeric 1,400 m). Birds characteristic of this zone include conditions near its headwaters function(s) as many Tumbesian species (often endemic species- isolating factor(s). Nevertheless, many other pairs and/or endemic subspecies) such as Pacific species do reach the right bank, e.g. Rusty-crowned Parrotlet Forpus coelestis, Peruvian Screech Owl Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura pileata, Baron’s Megascops r. roboratus, Scrub Nightjar Spinetail Cranioleuca baroni, Many-striped Caprimulgus anthonyi, Scarlet-backed Woodpecker Canastero Asthenes flammulata, Black-crested Tit- Veniliornis callonotus major, Necklaced Spinetail Tyrant Anairetes nigrocristatus, Yellow-billed Synallaxis stictothorax chinchipensis, Collared Tit-Tyrant A. flavirostris, White-browed Chat- Antshrike Sakesphorus bernardi shumbae, Short- Tyrant Ochthoeca leucophrys, Jelski’s Chat-Tyrant tailed Field Tyrant Muscigralla brevicauda, O. jelskii, Chiguanco Thrush Turdus chiguanco, Yellow-tailed Oriole Icterus mesomelas Rusty Flowerpiercer Diglossa sittoides, Band-tailed taczanowskii and Black-capped Sparrow Arremon Seedeater Catamenia analis, Plumbeous Sierra abeillei nigriceps. Others are characteristic of Finch Phrygilus unicolor, Ash-breasted Sierra savannas to the east, e.g. Tataupa Tinamou Finch P. plebejus, Baron’s Rufous-naped Brush Crypturellus tataupa inops, Marañón Spinetail Finch Atlapetes rufinucha baroni and Rufous- Synallaxis maranonica, Rufous-fronted Thornbird backed Inca Finch Incaspiza personata. Phacellodomus rufifrons peruvianus, Northern Finally, there is a strong correlation between Slaty Antshrike Thamnophilus punctatus Arid Temperate Zone birds associated with leucogaster, Pileated Finch Coryphospingus Polylepis/Gynoxys woodlands of the Cordillera cucullatus fargoi and Black-faced Tanager Blanca and those inhabiting a similar habitat amid Schistochlamys melanopis grisea. A few typically grassland in the Cordillera Central. These include humid-tropical species occur in small numbers, e.g. Green-throated Hillstar Oreotrochilus stolzmanni, Blue-necked Tanager Tangara cyanicollis at Rufous-webbed Tyrant Polioxolmis rufipennis, Tit- Chagual, dpto. La Libertad (TM & LA unpubl., like Dacnis Xenodacnis parina, Plain-tailed December 1997). Warbling Finch Poospiza alticola and Rufous-eared Within the Cordillera Central, the Arid Brush Finch Atlapetes rufigenis. Subtropical Zone (1,500–2,500 m) consists of a 2- Due to the wet conditions in the highest parts of km strip that follows the río Marañón from above the Cordillera Central, elfin forest and jalca,a Balsas (06º50’S 78º01’W) upstream c.300 km to humid grass–shrub association, dominate the Jircan, dpto. Huánuco (09º15’S 76º44’W), as well as Humid Temperate Zone (2,500–4,000 m) above a similar strip in the Utcubamba Valley, from Pedro 3,000 m. These habitats harbour several endemic Ruiz to Leimebamba, dpto. Amazonas (06º41’S and near-endemic species, such as Coppery 77º47’W; 2,200 m). In the upper Huallaga Valley, Metaltail Metallura theresiae, Russet-mantled near Huánuco, dpto. Huánuco (09º55’S 76º14’E; Softtail Thripophaga berlepschi, Neblina Tapaculo 1,900 m), the zone is wider but still transitional in Scytalopus altirostris, Tschudi’s Tapaculo S. character. It differs there in forming a transition acutirostris, Bay-vented Cotinga Ampelion sclateri, from the Humid Tropical Zone. Pardusco Nephelornis oneilli and Golden-backed The highest, southern, parts of the Marañón Mountain Tanager Buthraupis aureodorsalis. and Huallaga valleys, including the hydrographical Below 3,000 m, forest mixed with large patches of divide, are encompassed by the Arid Temperate Chusquea covers the east-facing slopes. A high level Zone (2,500–4,000 m). This zone effectively marks of endemism is found amongst the forest- and jalca- the termination of the northern extension of the based species of this zone. This life zone occurs the Puna Zone of highland Peru, and the entire genus entire length of the Cordillera Central. Geositta as well as the majority of species in genera The Humid Subtropical Zone (1,500–2,500 m) such as Nothoprocta, Leptasthenura, Asthenes and extends the length of the east slope of the Anthus which have no presence in the Cordillera Cordillera Central; however, it ‘wraps’ around the Central. Most species are continuously distributed northern end, facilitated by clouds that enter