Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

A Tropical Birding custom BIRDING tour NE Brazil: the land of awesome rarities - Araripe Manakin, Lear’s Macaw, and more… 7-16 March, 2018

TOUR LEADER: ANDRES VASQUEZ Photos by Andres Vasquez

One of the 2 male individuals we saw during our visit to Chapada do Araripe. Point blank one of the best birds of South America and for sure the main target on this trip, happily seen well but photographed in challenging light.

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Northeast Brazil is a land of rarities, sought-after specialties, and amazing South American birds. It is a destination that is not visited by too many birders yet, but I hope that in the near future more will want to visit these areas. At the moment TB runs only custom tours there, but we may start running set-departure tours too, and I hope that with this trip report I can encourage that.

This was another superb custom tour that we put together for (and I happily guided) our friend Rick Goldfarb who has been in with us in several other custom tours like this in the past; this was already our 9th tour together, and his 3rd in Brazil after visiting the Southeast Atlantic Forest and the Pantanal and Amazon regions.

Getting a digiscoped picture of Lear’s Macaws in the impressive Canudos Reserve just minutes after sunrise

This time we were looking for some of South America’s rarities and simply for specific lifers located in isolated spots of NE Brazil. The prevailing ecosystem of the region is the dry caatinga (scrub) which holds lots of taxa restricted to this biome. Scattered along the flat plains there are some serras and chapadas (upland ecosystems) that retain the humidity and are covered in lush green forests that hold a different variety of bird life. This combination results in several great birding spots that are quite isolated from each other, and in order to access them all, we had to cover many miles, fortunately the vast majority on fast roads.

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Sites that we birded included: 1.Serra de Baturité where we got Gray-breasted Parakeet, Buff-breasted Tody-Tyrant, Gray-headed Spinetail, Ceara Gnateater, Ceara Leaftosser, Lesser (Northern) Woodcreeper among others; 2.Quixadá where the Pygmy Nightjar, White-bellied Nothura, and the White-browed Guan were highlights; 3.Chapada do Araripe, where the astonishing Araripe Manakin could not get all of the attention due to other “stunners” like Ruby- topaz Hummingbird, Great Xenops, Silvery-cheeked Antshrike, Red-shouldered Spinetail, and Scarlet-throated Tanager; 4. Canudos, where the new research station allow us to sleep facing the cliffs where Lear’s Macaws roost and Least Nighthawks fly at dusk; 5.Murici and Frei Caneca, a couple of reserves that hold some of the most restricted range birds in Brazil like Alagoas Tyrannulet, Orange-bellied Antwren, Scalloped Antbird, and White-collared Kite.

Other highlights found in a few different spots along the route included the cute Racket-tailed Coquette of which we saw an immature male well, Southern Pochard and Masked Ducks, Cactus Parakeet, Broad-tipped Hermit, Frilled Coquette, Long-tailed Woodnymph, Tawny and Ochraceous Piculets, the very local Forbes’s Blackbird, Caatinga Cachalote, and a total of 36 Brazilian Endemics marked with an (E) in the following paragraphs.

A lone Lear’s Macaw perched on the rusty-pink cliffs used as roosting site in Canudos Biological Reserve

March 7th, Arrival and drive to Serra de Baturité: I arrived earlier in Fortaleza (state of Ceará) to make sure all the logistics were ok; I picked the car up and waited for Rick to arrive that afternoon. Immediately after his plane landed we started the drive southwards, for about 2 hours, to the isolated mountain range of Baturité so we did not have much chance to bird that day, though we heard upon arrival to our hotel a Spectacled Owl that never came in. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.3 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

March 8th, Serra de Baturité: We had an early breakfast pre-dawn so that we could get as early as possible to the well-known birding spot around the Remanso Hotel. We started by trying for an unresponsive owl and when light was good enough we started walking the long loop around the hotel. Almost immediately after starting on the trail we found one of the main targets of the area, the soon to be split subspecies of Rufous-breasted Leaftosser that is often called “Ceara” Leaftosser (E), which was singing away from a narrow stream gorge. We also got right there the likely split Lesser (“Northern”) Woodcreeper and just a few steps higher we found a pair of Black-capped Antwrens.

The striking Brazilian endemic Red-cowled Cardinals love the open country in NE Brazil

Afterwards, for about 3 hours lifers and local taxa did not stop coming to us. We were ticking new birds like nuts plus getting good views of all of those. Birds like the cearensis subspecies of Red-necked Tanager and Blond-crested Woodpecker (already split in some taxonomies as Ochre-backed Woodpecker (E)) were among the most colorful birds seen. Other more subtle lifers included Ochre-cheeked and Gray-headed Spinetails (E), Ceara Gnateater (E), Buff- breasted Tody-Tyrant (E), and a couple more. Worth mentioning also are species like the beautiful Gould’s Toucanet, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, and Moustached Wren.

We had a little rest in the middle of the day back at the hotel and right on the grounds surrounding the restaurant we saw the extremely localized Gray-breasted Parakeet (E) plus the more widely distributed Yellow-chevroned Parakeet; we got great scope views of both. In the afternoon we birded the road to Pico Alto which is a mix of forested road with some more open areas. It was very entertaining birding and we added quite a lot to the list but out of the main targets www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.4 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018 we only got a few. The most wanted was the minuscule but gorgeous Ochraceous Piculet (E). We also saw the first of many Red-cowled Cardinals (E) plus some other interesting birds like Large Elaenia, Southern Scrub Flycatcher, Pectoral Sparrow, Burnished-buff Tanager, and Creamy-bellied, Rufous-bellied and Pale-breasted Thrushes, among others.

March 9th, Serra de Baturité to Quixadá: Since we had done very well in Baturité and had no major targets to get there, we decided to depart early and start 2.5 hours’ drive south to Quixadá which with birding on the go stretched out to about 5 hours. We were hoping to find a nothura by driving some side dirt roads early in the morning. Well, mission accomplished as we found 2 different pairs of White-bellied Nothuras close to Ibaretama.

Two out of the four individuals White-bellied Nothuras we saw well on the way to Quixadá

We also saw the first of many Cactus Parakeets (E) and Spot-backed Puffbird started to be very common along the fences of these dirt roads. One of the big targets for Rick was a bit difficult at the beginning but with patience we found a pair of Dark-billed Cuckoos that despite being widespread, had eluded Rick in many previous trips. Other spots along the route were quite productive. We found White, Golden-green and Green-barred Woodpeckers, a very responsive pair of the Brazilian endemic Caatinga Cacholote (E), White-winged and Crested Becards, plus a flock of many females and two males of White-throated Seedeater (E).

Right after lunch in the town of Quixadá, we arrived at our hotel for the night, the famed Pedra dos Ventos. This nicely located lodge is placed on top of a large monolith from where we have an outstanding view of the surrounding plains. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.5 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

Landscapes are impressive at Quixadá thanks to the monoliths characteristic of the area

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More importantly for us though is the fact that the exposed rock with ground bromeliads and cacti is the roosting area of a tiny (yet “huge”) target, the Pygmy Nightjar (E). This minuscule species spends the day in the shade that these rocks and short vegetation provide. These birds do not flush very easily, and they rather walk fast. Running they looked a like mice at first glance given their size, no bigger than a towhee.

Pygmy Nightjar reaches 6 to 8 inches long only thanks to its relatively long tail.

We waited around the hotel until it cooled down a bit and then we drove down towards Fazenda Logradouro where the open plains mix with some patches of forest and we could find some other targets. The main one was the attractive White-naped Jay (E) that came past in a small flock. We also found a group of Grassland Yellow-Finches, a lonely White- tailed Goldenthroat, Grassland Sparrow, White-browed Meadowlark, Pileated Finch, the very colorful endemic Campo Troupial (E), and the first of many Pale Baywings.

Later on we found a couple of semi-diurnal owls, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Burrowing Owl. When it got dark we saw a large shape flying across the road and when we spot-lighted it we could see it was the open-country-loving Striped Owl. What a great day it had been.

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The endemic White-naped Jay above and the widespread Spot-backed Puffbird below

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March 10th, Quixadá to Chapada do Araripe: We only had a few hours to bird in the morning along the forested slopes the hotel protects since that day we had a long drive ahead of us, 5 hours according to the GPS but it always takes longer with some stops here and there.

We had enough time to look for the very main target of the site besides the nightjar. Due to the area having received lots of rain in the past weeks, the forest was all leafed out, very lush and green which makes it hard for birders to find the otherwise easy to spot White-browed Guans (E). The owner showed us pictures of at least a dozen guans coming to feed on corn that the staff puts out when the areas are dry but when we visited there was lots of food in the forest. We needed luck and luck was what we got for this bird when an individual responded to the tape I played, and it flew and perched on an exposed dead tree for us to see it well.

The gorgeous male Glittering-bellied Emerald is fairly common in open country ecosystems

We also found a couple other new birds for the trip during the couple hours we could bird here. Among those I can mention Least Grebe, Harris’s Hawk, Glittering-bellied Emerald, Rufous-fronted Thornbird, Pale-breasted and Sooty- fronted Spinetails, Great Antshrike, Long-billed Wren (E), and a nice male Black-bellied Antwren that was very skulking.

By midmorning, we decided to just start the drive with the hope to get in time to Crato to see if we could squeeze in a bit of birding there. We drove several hours straight and only stopped for lunch on the way to be able to make it to our destination with some light. We did very good time thanks to the good roads and arrived with still an hour of birding www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.9 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018 chances. We decided to go directly after the main target of NE Brazil, the recently discovered (1996) Critically Endengered extremely localized and simply stunning Araripe Manakin (E).

One of the best birds in the World, Araripe Manakin. We saw 2 females, a young male and 2 adult males

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The experience involved in finding this unique bird is quite interesting. The very best locality to go find this rare bird lies within a water park, yes the kind with slides and swimming pools, that welcomes dozens to hundreds of noisy people that want to swim and splash on the pools. Happily, since this park was built, the owners agreed on protecting the area adjacent to the park where the manakin was first discovered. Still, in order to enter the protected grounds of this species which population is estimated in no more than 500 pairs, you need to go through the gates of the Arajara Water Park. Since you look like a birdwatcher with the typical gear, they do not charge you an entry fee, they even escort you to the inner gate were the protected forested land starts. Here, the staff that works on the conservation of this areas and the bird, ask you to register and to pay a small fee to enter the gate.

Given that we had arrived sort of late in the day, the light was not the best for pictures but the views we got of this unique bird were superb. One of the other birds we managed to see besides the manakin was the cute Tawny Piculet (E). Another superb and very memorable day had ended.

March 11th, Chapada do Araripe and Sitio Pau Preto: Since we were satisfied with the views we had of the manakin the day before, and still with lots of targets to try to find in the area, we decided not to go back to the Arajara Park that day and instead we went early in the day to bird the top of the plateau called Chapada do Araripe.

Stripe-backed Antbirds are common but skulking in the caatinga

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Tons of new birds for the trip, most of which were Brazilian endemics, were seen in the couple of hours we birded here. Among the most outstanding were Stripe-backed Antbird, Gray-eyed Greenlet (E), Great Xenops (E), Red-shouldered Spinetail (E), Silvery-cheeked Antshrike (E), Planalto Slaty-Antshrike (E), the local subspecies of Barred Antshrike, Caatinga Antwrem (E), Cinnamon Tanager (E), and some more Tawny Piculets (E). We tried very hard for the skulking White-browed Antpitta (E) but despite all the effort we did not see it; we did hear a bunch of them and at least four individuals were very close but unresponsive to playback which combined with dense undergrowth means no views.

Gray-eyed Greenlet is one of the less attractive Brazilian endemics found here

Late in the morning we started our drive towards one of the new hotspots of the region, Sitio Pau Preto, a small bird lodge only finished a couple months before our visit (and we will try to stay there on future trips). I discovered this site on the web thanks to the eBird reports the owner, Jefferson Bob, had been uploading. On the way, we made several birding stops in which we found a few great birds like Southern Pochard, Masked Duck, White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, Chestnut-capped Blackbird, Lined Seedeater, and some other waterfowl and water birds. One of the key birds we found in this drive was the “Bahia” Wagtail-Tyrant (E) which some taxonomies split from Lesser Wagtail-Tyrant.

The main bird that drew my attention to this Sitio Pau Preto was the widespread but never easy Ruby-topaz Hummingbird that in Brazil tends to be quite an erratic wanderer or not well understood migrant. Happily during that week the bird had been seen on the gardens of the lodge and the driving was worth it when in bright sun we saw the bird for the first time glowing like few birds ever manage to glow. I was so stunned that forgot to point my camera at it. Later we saw it at another spot within the reserve but more distantly. While enjoying nice scope views of this hummer we heard and managed to bring in another big target, the hulking Scarlet-throated Tanager (E).

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The large and stunning Scarlet-throated Tanager above and curious Lesser (Bahia) Wagtail-Tyrants below

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We stayed birding in the grounds of this great new destination and saw some more trip birds like the quite special White-naped Xenopsaris, the gracilis subspecies of Greater Wagtail-Tyrant (sometimes referred as Caatinga W-T), and when it was getting dark we spotted various individuals of Least Nighthawk flying overhead. After dinner at the lodge we saw a Little Nightjar on our long way back in the dark towards Crato.

A very territorial individual of White-naped Xenopsaris was apparently nesting in a tree near the garden

March 12th, Chapada do Araripe to Canudos: this was another of the long driving days with 5.5 hours of driving time ahead of us. We decided to give it another try at that antpitta up on top of the plateau only to get frustrated again with birds singing close but not moving an inch towards us. We found in the process the only lifer of the morning in the dull shape and colors of Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin. Apart from that one, a couple other new birds for the list were the meloryphus subspecies of Tawny-crowned Pygmy-Tyrant and a soaring Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle. With still a little time to bird and considering that it was just a shortish detour we then went back to the water park to see if we would get better pictures at the Araripe Manakins but even though we saw them again, no pictures were achieved. We got a Whiskered Flycatcher and White-lined Tanagers as bonuses.

Again we decided to cover ground and just drive a few hours solid to cover as many miles as possible. On the way we found just a little time to bird and added only White Monjita, Pied Lapwing, and Blue-winged Macaws in a palm grove very close to our final destination. We went straight to the office of the Canudos Biological Reserve in the small town of Canudos. The rangers of this reserve, which protects the endangered Lear’s Macaw, were waiting to escort us to the www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.14 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018 new facilities they built within the reserve. After being shown the lodge, we went back to town for dinner and to get some food for next day’s super early breakfast.

Lear’s (Indigo) Macaw flying in between the cliffs where they roost

March 13th, Canudos Biological Reserve to Uniao dos Palmares: Today was quite an exhausting day, but it was also one of the best birding experiences any birder can have. It started with a 4am departure with a quick pre-breakfast snack to be able to get near the Lear’s Macaw roosting cliffs before dawn in order to disturb this endangered species as little as possible. Then it was a short walk to get closer to the cliffs, and we waited for the sun to rise. Still in the dark, some individuals started calling in the distance, and the majestic scenery started to be revealed by the sun in front of our surprised eyes.

Just before actual sunrise, but already with some gorgeous pink light, various pairs of macaws started to fly above our heads. Goosebumps rose on as we managed to see the first individuals through our bins and later through the scope when they perched on the cliffs or on some exposed dead trees. We must have seen few dozen of these large macaws (about 2.5 feet long) from two different viewpoints that the rangers took us to.

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Two pairs of Lear’s (Indigo) Macaws flying above the cliffs at dawn

Mesmerizing scenery facing the Lear’s (Indigo) Macaws roosting cliffs (photo by Richard Goldfarb) www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.16 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

This bird was initially only known to science since the mid-eighteen hundreds from birds brought out of Brazil for the cage bird trade, and only in 1978 was the first wild population discovered by ornithologists. Back then, the estimated population was considered to be as small as 140 individuals, but with successful conservation work and the discovery of new populations, the current estimate is about 1300 birds, and in 2008 it was downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered.

Apart from the obvious star of the morning show, we also found a few other species of interest like the Brazilian endemics Broad-tipped Hermit (E) and Velvety Black-Tyrant (E), plus Blue-crowned Parakeet, Turquoise-fronted Parrot, and another male Ruby-topaz Hummingbird out of pure luck.

We were allowed to stay near these cliffs only until 7:30am to avoid further disturbance of the macaws, so it was a perfect timing to head back to the lodge grounds for a very nice breakfast that was already awaiting us. It was also a good break to prepare for the 7 hour drive we had ahead of us. Once again we only stopped for lunch on the way and did the drive in as little time as we could. We arrived by nightfall at our next destination in Uniao dos Palmares.

Another flight shot of this incredible bird

March 14th and 15th, Murici and Frei Caneca: During these days we visited 2 reserves that protect small, isolated patches of forest in an area that was almost totally turned into sugar cane fields decades ago. These patches survived the rampant development of this industry and became tiny islands of conservation, which are too small to support the expansion of population of the species that depend on pristine forest.

The location of these areas brings an interesting mixture of bird species, some that are typical of the Atlantic Rainforest, and others that are more Amazonian, but more importantly, these reserves hold various species that can’t be found www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.17 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018 anywhere else; species very localized, range restricted, and extremely rare. It is getting harder and harder to find some of these birds, which makes birding in here at times frustrating. In addition to all that, accessibility to both reserves is a challenge; a 4x4 vehicle is essential and had it rained when we visited, I am not sure that we would have been able to make it up there.

We were lucky with the weather so the “rockless-pure-clay” dirt roads were dry and we managed to drive all the way up to both reserves though one bridge in Frei Caneca was broken so we could not go as far as we would have liked.

Long-tailed Woodnymphs were seen well both at Frei Caneca and Murici

As a summary, we managed to find several of these key birds and various other specialties of the area but it required quite some effort. Other targets remained either unresponsive to us or we could not get to their territories. It was a sweet and sour feeling at the end but we gave it our best try. Among the highlights we got at Murici were Alagoas Tyrannulet (E), brief flight views of Black-headed Berryeater (E), Long-tailed Woodnymph (E), Blue-backed and Red- headed Manakins, Golden-spangled Piculet, White-fringed Antwren, Red-shouldered Macaw, Yellow-throated Woodpecker, the pernambucensis subspecies of White-backed Fire-eye, Screaming Piha, a guide-only view of Black- necked Aracari, Violaceous and Golden-rumped Euphonias, and more.

At Frei Caneca we saw several of the same birds we got in Murici the day before but added a few other cool birds like Orange-bellied Antwren (E), Scalloped Antbird (E), Black-cheeked Gnateater (E), Sooty Grassquit, Wing-banded www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.18 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

Hornero (E), plus a few more common or wider spread birds. We heard from inside the forest White-collared Kites doing soaring displays but did not manage to see them from inside the dense forest interior.

A young male Racket-tailed Coquette came a couple times to the same feeder but never perched close by.

The day we visited Frei Caneca we also managed to include in the late morning a visit to another nearby hotspot called Pedra D’Anta. This small reserve is kept by Save Brazil Foundation and they have in a remote spot a very nice setting of hummingbird feeders that were pumping with hummers, a few of those were new birds for the trip and even one or two lifers. Among the most memorable were Racket-tailed and Frilled Coquettes (E), Sombre Hummingbird (E), Rufous- breasted and Reddish Hermits, Black-eared Fairy, Black-throated Mango, Blue-chinned and White-chinned Sapphires, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, out of a total of 14 species of hummingbirds seen there. Additionally we got a couple of Brazilian Tanagers (E), Guira Tanagers, and another guide-only view of Yellow-faced Siskin (E).

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A male Blue-chinned Sapphire above and a Reddish Hermit female below

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March 16th, Tamandare and Recife: We only had one morning to bird this coastal region with one big target to get and a few other targets to try to find as bonus birds at this point. The key species here is the highly localized and endangered Forbes’s Blackbird (E) which has a very patchy distribution, always in small numbers and tiny territories. It was described in 1880 but after its initial discovery it was only seen again by ornithologists for the first time in 1980, a century later. The interesting thing is that this bird is present in quite open habitats that include sugar cane plantations, marshes with introduced mango trees and other riparian habitats that abound in Brazil, but this bird remains known from only a few patches with no major dispersion occurring.

A digiscoped picture with my phone of Forbes’s Blackbird from the highway

With our main target in the bag we decided to explore a couple other spots, but today it decided to rain and a key dirt road became impassable for us thus we could not access some birding sites; we had to give up a couple of the bonus targets we desired. We had to settle with some birding on a few spots on the way to Recife’s International Airport that we needed to reach early in the afternoon. We managed to find a localized lifer for the region in the form of Plain- bellied Emerald. Among the trip birds for the day we got the striking Chestnut-backed Antshrike, Scaled Pigeon, Green Kingfisher, White-faced and Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, and only heard a group of East Brazilian Chachalacas (E) that we did not get to see. There was not a lot of time left and trying to be cautious, we decided to call it a day and started the hour and a half drive we still needed to do in order to reach the airport on time and do not risk missing our flights back home. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.21 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

This was a great trip in terms of birds, in terms of landscapes, and in terms of number of targets achieved. Probably the Araripe Manakin was the “bird of the trip” but everything involved in seeing the Lear’s Macaw was for sure the best experience of the tour. Memorable as well were the Pygmy Nightjar, the Scarlet-throated Tanager and for sure the brilliant Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, among so many superb birds that we saw. Northeast Brazil is such a great destination; I hope to visit this place again soon.

A recommended song to accompany you during the long drives for this tour is Portela na avenida by Clara Nunes. Find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VeN2JirTCQ

Final Checklist: At the end of this tour we registered a total of 277 species of birds out of which 4 were seen by the tour leader only (L) and 22 were heard only (H). We did not record much in terms of mammals but worth mentioning is the rare and local Baturité Porcupine (Coendou baturitensis) only discovered to science in 2013. Below find the entire list of birds we recorded. The key (E) stands for Brazilian Endemic.

TINAMOUS TINAMIDAE 1 H Small-billed Tinamou Crypturellus parvirostris 2 H Tataupa Tinamou Crypturellus tataupa 3 Red-winged Tinamou Rhynchotus rufescens 4 White-bellied Nothura Nothura boraquira DUCKS, GEESE, AND WATERFOWL ANATIDAE 5 White-faced Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna viduata 6 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis 7 Fulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor 8 Brazilian Teal Amazonetta brasiliensis 9 Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma 10 Masked Duck Nomonyx dominicus CRACIDS CRACIDAE 11 H East Brazilian Chachalaca (E) Ortalis araucuan 12 White-browed Guan (E) Penelope jacucaca GREBES PODICIPEDIDAE 13 Least Grebe Tachybaptus dominicus 14 Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps CORMORANTS AND SHAGS PHALACROCORACIDAE 15 Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus HERONS, EGRETS, AND BITTERNS ARDEIDAE 16 Cocoi Heron Ardea cocoi 17 Great Egret Ardea alba 18 Snowy Egret Egretta thula 19 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 20 Striated Heron Butorides striata 21 Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax IBISES AND SPOONBILLS THRESKIORNITHIDAE 22 White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi NEW WORLD VULTURES CATHARTIDAE 23 Black Vulture Coragyps atratus www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.22 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

24 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura 25 Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture Cathartes burrovianus OSPREY PANDIONIDAE 26 Osprey Pandion haliaetus HAWKS, EAGLES, AND KITES ACCIPITRIDAE 27 H White-collared Kite (E) Leptodon forbesi 28 Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus 29 Snail Kite Rostrhamus sociabilis 30 Crane Hawk Geranospiza caerulescens 31 Savanna Hawk Buteogallus meridionalis 32 Roadside Hawk Rupornis magnirostris 33 Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus 34 Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus 35 Short-tailed Hawk Buteo brachyurus FALCONS AND CARACARAS FALCONIDAE 36 Southern Caracara Caracara plancus 37 H Laughing Falcon Herpetotheres cachinnans 38 American Kestrel Falco sparverius RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS RALLIDAE 39 Gray-cowled (-necked) Wood-Rail Aramides cajaneus 40 H Paint-billed Crake Mustelirallus erythrops 41 Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinica 42 Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata SERIEMAS CARIAMIDAE 43 H Red-legged Seriema Cariama cristata PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS CHARADRIIDAE 44 Southern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis 45 Pied Lapwing Vanellus cayanus STILTS AND AVOCETS RECURVIROSTRIDAE 46 Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus JACANAS JACANIDAE 47 Wattled Jacana Jacana jacana SANDPIPERS AND ALLIES SCOLOPACIDAE 48 Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius PIGEONS AND DOVES COLUMBIDAE 49 Rock Pigeon (I) Columba livia 50 Scaled Pigeon Patagioenas speciosa 51 Picazuro Pigeon Patagioenas picazuro 52 Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina 53 Plain-breasted Ground-Dove Columbina minuta 54 Ruddy Ground-Dove Columbina talpacoti 55 Scaled Dove Columbina squammata 56 Picui Ground-Dove Columbina picui 57 Blue Ground-Dove Claravis pretiosa 58 White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi 59 H Gray-fronted Dove Leptotila rufaxilla 60 Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata PARROTS PSITTACIDAE 61 H Plain Parakeet (E) Brotogeris tirica 62 Yellow-chevroned Parakeet Brotogeris chiriri 63 Turquoise-fronted Parrot Amazona aestiva 64 Blue-winged Parrotlet Forpus xanthopterygius www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.23 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

65 Gray-breasted Parakeet (E) Pyrrhura griseipectus 66 Indigo (Lear's) Macaw (E) Anodorhynchus leari 67 Cactus Parakeet (E) Eupsittula cactorum 68 H Jandaya Parakeet (E) Aratinga jandaya 69 Blue-winged Macaw Primolius maracana 70 Blue-crowned Parakeet Thectocercus acuticaudatus 71 Red-shouldered Macaw Diopsittaca nobilis CUCKOOS CUCULIDAE 72 Guira Cuckoo Guira guira 73 Greater Ani Crotophaga major 74 Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani 75 Striped Cuckoo Tapera naevia 76 Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana 77 Dark-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus melacoryphus OWLS STRIGIDAE 78 H Spectacled Owl Pulsatrix perspicillata 79 Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium brasilianum 80 Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia 81 Striped Owl Asio clamator NIGHTJARS AND ALLIES CAPRIMULGIDAE 82 Least Nighthawk Chordeiles pusillus 83 Pygmy Nightjar (E) Nyctipolus hirundinaceus 84 Common Pauraque Nyctidromus albicollis 85 Little Nightjar Setopagis parvula POTOOS NYCTIBIIDAE 86 L Common Potoo Nyctibius griseus SWIFTS APODIDAE 87 Band-rumped Swift Chaetura spinicaudus 88 Gray-rumped Swift Chaetura cinereiventris 89 Fork-tailed Palm-Swift Tachornis squamata HUMMINGBIRDS TROCHILIDAE 90 Black Jacobin Florisuga fusca 91 Rufous-breasted Hermit Glaucis hirsutus 92 Broad-tipped Hermit (E) Anopetia gounellei 93 Reddish Hermit Phaethornis ruber 94 L Planalto Hermit Phaethornis pretrei 95 White-vented Violetear Colibri serrirostris 96 Black-eared Fairy Heliothryx auritus 97 White-tailed Goldenthroat Polytmus guainumbi 98 Ruby-topaz Hummingbird Chrysolampis mosquitus 99 Black-throated Mango Anthracothorax nigricollis 100 Racket-tailed Coquette Discosura longicaudus 101 Frilled Coquette (E) Lophornis magnificus 102 Glittering-bellied Emerald Chlorostilbon lucidus 103 Blue-chinned Sapphire Chlorestes notata 104 Swallow-tailed Hummingbird Eupetomena macroura 105 Fork-tailed Woodnymph Thalurania furcata 106 Long-tailed Woodnymph (E) Thalurania watertonii 107 Sombre Hummingbird (E) Aphantochroa cirrochloris 108 Plain-bellied Emerald Amazilia leucogaster 109 Versicolored Emerald Amazilia versicolor 110 Glittering-throated Emerald Amazilia fimbriata www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.24 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

111 White-chinned Sapphire Hylocharis cyanus TROGONS TROGONIDAE 112 H Blue-crowned Trogon Trogon curucui KINGFISHERS ALCEDINIDAE 113 Ringed Kingfisher Megaceryle torquata 114 Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana PUFFBIRDS BUCCONIDAE 115 Spot-backed Puffbird Nystalus maculatus maculatus JACAMARS GALBULIDAE 116 Rufous-tailed Jacamar Galbula ruficauda rufoviridis TOUCANS RAMPHASTIDAE 117 L Black-necked Aracari Pteroglossus aracari 118 Gould's Toucanet Selenidera gouldii 119 Channel-billed Toucan Ramphastos vitellinus WOODPECKERS PICIDAE 120 Golden-spangled Piculet Picumnus exilis exilis/pernambucensis 121 Tawny Piculet (E) Picumnus fulvescens 122 Ochraceous Piculet (E) Picumnus limae 123 White Woodpecker Melanerpes candidus 124 Little Woodpecker Veniliornis passerinus 125 Yellow-throated Woodpecker Piculus flavigula erythropis 126 Golden-green Woodpecker Piculus chrysochloros 127 Green-barred Woodpecker Colaptes melanochloros Blond-crested (Ochre-backed) 128 Woodpecker Celeus flavescens ochraceus OVENBIRDS & WOODCREEPERS FURNARIIDAE 129 Rufous-breasted (Ceara) Leaftosser Sclerurus scansor cearensis 130 Olivaceous Woodcreeper Sittasomus griseicapillus reiseri 131 Lesser (Northern) Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus fuscus atlanticus 132 Straight-billed Woodcreeper Dendroplex picus 133 Narrow-billed Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes angustirostris 134 Wing-banded Hornero (E) Furnarius figulus 135 Pale-legged Hornero Furnarius leucopus assimilis 136 Great Xenops (E) Megaxenops parnaguae 137 Rufous-fronted Thornbird Phacellodomus rufifrons rufifrons 138 Gray-headed Spinetail (E) Cranioleuca semicinerea 139 Caatinga Cacholote (E) Pseudoseisura cristata 140 Yellow-chinned Spinetail Certhiaxis cinnamomeus 141 Ochre-cheeked Spinetail Synallaxis scutata 142 Red-shouldered Spinetail (E) Synallaxis hellmayri 143 Pale-breasted Spinetail Synallaxis albescens 144 Sooty-fronted Spinetail Synallaxis frontalis TYPICAL ANTBIRDS THAMNOPHILIDAE 145 Great Antshrike Taraba major 146 Silvery-cheeked Antshrike (E) Sakesphorus cristatus 147 Barred Antshrike Thamnophilus doliatus capistratus 148 Chestnut-backed Antshrike Thamnophilus palliatus vestitus 149 Planalto Slaty-Antshrike (E) Thamnophilus pelzelni 150 Variable Antshrike Thamnophilus caerulescens cearensis 151 Plain Antvireo Dysithamnus mentalis 152 White-flanked Antwren Myrmotherula axillaris luctuosa 153 Stripe-backed Antbird Myrmorchilus strigilatus strigilatus www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.25 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

154 Caatinga Antwren (E) Herpsilochmus sellowi 155 Pectoral Antwren (E) Herpsilochmus pectoralis 156 Rufous-winged Antwren Herpsilochmus rufimarginatus scapularis 157 White-fringed Antwren Formicivora grisea grisea 158 Black-bellied Antwren Formicivora melanogaster bahiae 159 Orange-bellied Antwren (E) Terenura sicki 160 White-backed Fire-eye Pyriglena leuconota pernambucensis 161 Scalloped Antbird (E) Myrmoderus ruficauda ANTPITTAS GRALLARIIDAE 162 H White-browed Antpitta (E) Hylopezus ochroleucus GNATEATERS CONOPOPHAGIDAE 163 Black-cheeked Gnateater (E) Conopophaga melanops 164 Ceara Gnateater (E) Conopophaga cearae TYRANT FLYCATCHERS TYRANNIDAE 165 Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet Camptostoma obsoletum 166 Mouse-colored Tyrannulet Phaeomyias murina 167 Yellow Tyrannulet Capsiempis flaveola 168 Gray Elaenia Myiopagis caniceps 169 Yellow-bellied Elaenia Elaenia flavogaster 170 Large Elaenia Elaenia spectabilis 171 White-crested Elaenia Elaenia albiceps chilensis 172 Plain-crested Elaenia Elaenia cristata 173 H Ochre-bellied Flycatcher Mionectes oleagineus 174 H Sepia-capped Flycatcher Leptopogon amaurocephalus 175 Alagoas Tyrannulet (E) Phylloscartes ceciliae 176 Planalto Tyrannulet Phyllomyias fasciatus 177 Guianan Tyrannulet Zimmerius acer 178 Southern Scrub-Flycatcher Sublegatus modestus 179 Tawny-crowned Pygmy-Tyrant Euscarthmus meloryphus meloryphus 180 Lesser (Bahia) Wagtail-Tyrant Stigmatura napensis bahiae 181 Greater (Caatinga) Wagtail-Tyrant Stigmatura budytoides gracilis 182 Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant Hemitriccus margaritaceiventer wuchereri 183 Buff-breasted Tody-Tyrant (E) Hemitriccus mirandae 184 Common Tody-Flycatcher Todirostrum cinereum 185 Yellow-breasted Flycatcher Tolmomyias flaviventris flaviventris 186 Cliff Flycatcher Hirundinea ferruginea bellicosa 187 Whiskered Flycatcher Myiobius barbatus mastacalis 188 Bran-colored Flycatcher Myiophobus fasciatus 189 H Euler's Flycatcher Lathrotriccus euleri 190 Tropical Pewee Contopus cinereus 191 Velvety Black-Tyrant Knipolegus nigerrimus 192 White Monjita Xolmis irupero 193 Masked Water-Tyrant Fluvicola nengeta 194 White-headed Marsh Tyrant Arundinicola leucocephala 195 Cattle Tyrant Machetornis rixosa 196 H Bright-rumped Attila Attila spadiceus 197 Short-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus ferox 198 Brown-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus tyrannulus 199 Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus 200 Boat-billed Flycatcher Megarynchus pitangua 201 Social Flycatcher Myiozetetes similis 202 Streaked Flycatcher Myiodynastes maculatus www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.26 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

203 H Piratic Flycatcher Legatus leucophaius 204 Variegated Flycatcher Empidonomus varius 205 Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus COTINGAS COTINGIDAE 206 Black-headed Berryeater (E) Carpornis melanocephala 207 Screaming Piha Lipaugus vociferans MANAKINS PIPRIDAE 208 Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin Neopelma pallescens 209 Araripe Manakin (E) Antilophia bokermanni 210 Blue-backed Manakin Chiroxiphia pareola pareola 211 H White-bearded Manakin Manacus manacus 212 Band-tailed Manakin Pipra fasciicauda 213 Red-headed Manakin Ceratopipra rubrocapilla TITYRAS AND ALLIES TITYRIDAE 214 H Thrush-like (Brown-winged) Schiffornis Schiffornis turdina 215 White-naped Xenopsaris Xenopsaris albinucha 216 White-winged Becard Pachyramphus polychopterus 217 Crested Becard Pachyramphus validus VIREOS VIREONIDAE 218 Rufous-browed Peppershrike Cyclarhis gujanensis 219 Gray-eyed Greenlet (E) Hylophilus amaurocephalus 220 Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus chivi CROWS, JAYS, AND MAGPIES CORVIDAE 221 White-naped Jay (E) Cyanocorax cyanopogon SWALLOWS HIRUNDINIDAE 222 Southern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx ruficollis 223 Gray-breasted Martin Progne chalybea 224 White-winged Swallow Tachycineta albiventer WRENS TROGLODYTIDAE 225 House Wren Troglodytes aedon 226 Moustached Wren Pheugopedius genibarbis 227 Long-billed Wren (E) Cantorchilus longirostris GNATCATCHERS POLIOPTILIDAE 228 Long-billed Gnatwren Ramphocaenus melanurus 229 Tropical Gnatcatcher Polioptila plumbea atricapilla THRUSHES AND ALLIES TURDIDAE 230 Pale-breasted Thrush Turdus leucomelas 231 Rufous-bellied Thrush Turdus rufiventris 232 Creamy-bellied Thrush Turdus amaurochalinus MOCKINGBIRDS MIMIDAE 233 Chalk-browed Mockingbird Mimus saturninus NEW WORLD WARBLERS PARULIDAE 234 Golden-crowned Warbler Basileuterus culicivorus 235 H Flavescent Warbler Myiothlypis flaveola 236 Red-cowled Cardinal (E) Paroaria dominicana 237 Cinnamon Tanager (E) Schistochlamys ruficapillus 238 Scarlet-throated Tanager (E) Compsothraupis loricata 239 Orange-headed Tanager Thlypopsis sordida 240 White-lined Tanager Tachyphonus rufus 241 Brazilian Tanager (E) Ramphocelus bresilius 242 Sayaca Tanager Thraupis sayaca 243 Palm Tanager Thraupis palmarum www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.27 Tropical Birding - Trip Report NE Brazil Custom Tour: Araripe Manakin and more – March 2018

244 Burnished-buff Tanager Tangara cayana 245 Red-necked Tanager Tangara cyanocephala 246 Blue Dacnis Dacnis cayana 247 Guira Tanager Hemithraupis guira 248 Saffron Finch Sicalis flaveola 249 Grassland Yellow-Finch Sicalis luteola luteiventris 250 Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch Emberizoides herbicola 251 Blue-black Grassquit Volatinia jacarina 252 Lined Seedeater Sporophila lineola 253 Yellow-bellied Seedeater Sporophila nigricollis 254 White-throated Seedeater (E) Sporophila albogularis 255 Pileated Finch Coryphospingus pileatus 256 Bananaquit Coereba flaveola 257 Sooty Grassquit Tiaris fuliginosus 258 Buff-throated Saltator Saltator maximus 259 H Black-throated Grosbeak Saltator fuliginosus SPARROWS, SEEDEATERS, ALLIES PASSERELLIDAE 260 Grassland Sparrow Ammodramus humeralis 261 Pectoral Sparrow Arremon taciturnus 262 Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis CARDINALS AND ALLIES CARDINALIDAE 263 Ultramarine Grosbeak Cyanoloxia brissonii TROUPIALS AND ALLIES ICTERIDAE 264 White-browed Meadowlark Sturnella superciliaris 265 Solitary Black Cacique Cacicus solitarius 266 Variable (Epaulet) Oriole Icterus pyrrhopterus tibialis 267 Campo Troupial (E) Icterus jamacaii 268 Shiny Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis 269 Forbes's Blackbird (E) Anumara forbesi 270 Chopi Blackbird Gnorimopsar chopi 271 Pale Baywing Agelaioides fringillarius 272 Chestnut-capped Blackbird Chrysomus ruficapillus SISKINS, EUPHONIAS, ALLIES FRINGILLIDAE 273 Purple-throated Euphonia Euphonia chlorotica 274 Violaceous Euphonia Euphonia violacea 275 L Yellow-faced Siskin (E) Spinus yarrellii OLD WORLD SPARROWS PASSERIDAE 276 House Sparrow (I) Passer domesticus WAXBILLS AND ALLIES ESTRILDIDAE 277 Common Waxbill (I) Estrilda astrild

The Brazilian endemic White-throated Seedeater male www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.28