COTINGA 9 Birds of the lowland forest of Cerros del Sira, central Peru Oscar E. González M. Se realizó un inventario ornitológico en un sector desconocido de la Cordillera El Sira (Provincia de Oxapampa, Departamento de Cerro de Pasco) en la selva baja central del Perú (210–300 m). Este artículo describe la zona de estudio, discute la presencia de ciertas aves del bosque montano y muestra una lista de las 110 especies de aves reconocidas durante este inventario. Introduction The Cordillera el Sira (Cerros del Sira) is an iso­ lated mountain chain with humid tropical forest in central Peru and a high degree of endemism. Terborgh & Weske6, who studied the distribution of Andean birds in this region, also discovered a new subspecies of curassow, Pauxi unicornis koepckeae8, a new species of tanager, Tangara p h illip si2 and a new species of hummingbird, Phaethornis koepckeae9 in this area. Thus, Wege & Long7 considered Cerros del Sira a key area for the conservation of threatened bird species. Koepcke3 surveyed the lowlands of Sira, focusing upon birds’ nesting behaviour. According to Terborgh & Weske6, the centre of Cerros del Sira lies at c. 09°30'S 74°40'W, between the Pachitea and Ucayali rivers and 100 km east of the main Andean chain. It includes three widely separated peaks above 1500 m; the highest point is between 2400–2500 m. The region is character­ ised by a marked displacement of vegetational zones; the ecotones of the montane rainforest, cloud forest and elfin forest are at 750, 1050 and Location of cerros del Sira and two sampling localities. 1800 m, respectively. More than 400 bird species Redrawn from Morales (1994) and Weske and Terborg are known from the area, 146 in montane rainfor- (1977) est6. El Sira has belonged ancestrally to the Campa 74°40'W, at 210 m) and on a tributary of the (Asháninka) Indians. A local organisation repre­ Apurucayali river, which drains into the Pichis sents them — Asociación de Nativos Asháninkas del river; and a second near Cuca lagoon at 300 m and Pichis (ANAP), who commissioned Asociación de 2 km north-west of the former area4. These areas Ecologia y Conservación (ECCO), a (now defunct) were surveyed for 25 days, in October-November Peruvian environmental NGO to perform a biologi­ 1994. The former locality is 5 km south-east of the cal survey. They planned to petition the Peruvian native community of Puerto Davis, which is 52 km government to protect the land by making it a Na­ south-east of Llullapichis (near Koepcke’s study tive Reserve (Reserva Comunal), as opposed to a area:!) and 75 km south-east of Puerto Inca (near National Park (Parque Nacional). one of Terborgh & Weske’s6 study areas). The expedition explored a previously unstudied The canopy averaged 45 m in height; and domi­ sector of the Cerros del Sira, the lowland rainfor­ nant species belonged to the genera Cecropia, est (210– 300 m). Persea, Socratea, Iriartea, Mauritia and Euterpe. Lianas and ferns were common and the terrain at Methodology both sites steep4. Two sampling localities were selected, on the lower Observations were made mainly in the early west slope of the Cerros del Sira: one between the morning. Five mist-nets were set within 50 m of rivers Samantoshari and Saberoshari (c. 09°59'S our camps: two in primary forest, two in secondary 5 7 COTINGA 9 Birds of the lowland forest of Cerros del Sira, central Peru fronted Lancebill Doryfera johannae, Tawny-bellied H erm it Phaethornis syrmatophorus and Buff-tailed Sicklebill Eutoxeres condamini. This can presum­ ably be explained by the fact that the sample area was on the slope of a tropical mountain; similarly, there are records of Geotrygon saphirina (Cerros de Contamana, Cerros Campanquis, Loreto); Geotrygon frenata (Rio Cenepa, Amazonas) and Eutoxeres condamini (Quebrada Caterpiza, Loreto) from lowland areas elsewhere (all taken from speci­ men data at the Museo de Historia Natural of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos [MHN- UNMSM]). Graves' provides mean altitude and vertical movements of two of these — Geotrygon Fig. 1i. The author with the best birdwatchers: the frenata (mean altitude 2025 m: 1750 m vertical asháninka natives. movement), Phaethornis syrmatophorus (1835 m; 330 m) — and Terborgh & Weske6 set the following forest (farmland with Manihot sculenta and a de­ lowest recorded occurrences: Geotrygon frenata forested hill slope) and one in riparian thickets by (1 1 5 0 m), Eutoxeres condamini (900 m) and the Samantoshari river. Near the Cuca lagoon, we Schiffornis turdinus (900 m), adding that any dis­ set two mist-nets in primary forest and navigated tributional differences observed in their survey the lagoon in a small canoe to make observations. were artefacts of a separate evolutionary adjust­ ment of the Sira populations to a novel R esu lts biogeographical setting. These species may appear A total of 110 species of bird, of 38 families, was in lowland rainforest when conditions force them identified. They are listed in the Appendix. Forty- to do so. one species were mist-netted (c), 47 observed (o) and 22 heard (h). Due to the comparatively brief Acknowledgements survey period further sampling should reveal more The following helped identify the birds recorded species to be present. Terborgh & Weske6 consid­ during the survey: Thomas Valqui, Lawrence López, ered that their survey was also incomplete due to W alter Wust and Mirko Fernández. I am very grate­ a lack of field time: they reported at least 115 spe­ ful to Dr Irma Franke, curator of birds at the Museo cies in the Cerros del Sira lowlands. Koepcke3 found de Historia Natural of the Universidad Nacional 52 bird families to be present during three years Mayor de San Marcos (MHN-UNMSM), for allow­ fieldwork, and reported low population densities ing me to consult the specimens in her care, and for most species. Dr John Terborgh, who made valuable comments In the appendix, each species’ habitat is defined on the manuscript. Funds for this expedition were according to that in which it was most frequently provided by Tratado de Cooperación Amazónica located, using the terminology of Parker et al.5: 66% (TCA) and the Comisión Especial de Asuntos of species were located in primary forest; 14% in Indígenas de la Amazonia (CEAIA). second growth and 20% in aquatic areas. Psittacidae was the best represented family (11 R e fe r e n c e s species), followed by Formicariidae (nine species) 1. Graves, G. R. (1985) Elevational correlates of and Tyrannidae (nine species). Other families were speciation and intraspecific geographic vari­ represented by no more than five species. ation in plumage in Andean forest birds. Auk Of the birds recorded, Razor-billed Curassow 102: 556– 579. Crax m itu and Spix’s G uan Penelope jacquacu are 2. Graves, G. R. & Weske, J. S. (1987) Tangara frequently hunted for food by the local Indian popu­ phillipsi, a new species of tanager from the lation, although they are still relatively abundant. Cerros del Sira, eastern Peru. Wilson Bull. 99: Other birds hunted formerly included tinamous, 1–6. pigeons and doves. 3. Koepcke, M. (1972) Über die Resistenzformer It is interesting to note the presence in the low­ der Vogelnester in einem begrenzten Gebiet lands (210 m) of some species usually recorded in des tropischen Regenwaldes in Peru. J. Orn. montane forests5 e.g. Ruddy Geotrygon saphirina 113: 138– 160. and White-throated Quail-Doves G. frenata, Blue- 5 8 COTINGA 9 Birds of the lowland forest of Cerros del Sira, central Peru 4. M orales, V. R. (1994) Informe del Primer PANDIONIDAE Inventario Biológico en el Area de la Laguna Osprey Pandion haliaetus (o) R. Cuca en la Cordillera de “El Sira”. Lima; FALCONIDAE ECCO (Unpublished) Technical Report. Black Caracara Daptrius ater (h) PF. 5. Parker, T. A., Parker, S. A. & Plenge, M. A. (1982) Red-throated Caracara Daptrius americanus (o) PF. An annotated checklist of Peruvian birds. Ver­ CRACIDAE million, South Dakota: Buteo Books. Spix’s Guan Penelope jacquacu (c) PF. 6. Terborgh, J. & Weske, J. S. (1975) The role of Razor-billed Curassow Mitu mitu (c) PF. competition in the distribution of Andean OPISTHOCOMIDAE birds. Ecology 56: 562– 576. Hoatzin Opisthocomus hoatzin (c) R, L. 7. Wege, D. C. & Long, A. J. (1995) Key Areas for HELIORNITHIDAE threatened birds in the Neotropics. Cambridge, Sungrebe Heliornis fulica (c) R. UK: BirdLife International (BirdLife Conser­ vation Series 5). CHARADRIIDAE Pied Lapwing Hoploxypterus cayanus (o) R. 8. Weske, J. S. & Terborgh, J. (1971) A new sub­ Collared Plover Charadrius collaris (o) R. species of curassow of the genus Pauxi from Peru. A uk 88: 233–238. SCOLOPACIDAE 9. Weske, J. S. & Terborgh, J. (1977) Phaethornis Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius (o) R. koepckeae, a new species of hummingbird from COLUMBIDAE Peru. Condor 79: 143– 177. Ruddy Pigeon Columba subvinacea (c) PF. Plumbeous Pigeon Columba plumbea (h) PF. Sapphire Quail-Dove Geotrygon saphirina (c) PF. Oscar E. González M. Ruddy Quail-Dove Geotrygon montana (c) PF. Gómez del Carpió 135, Barrio Médico, Lima 34, White-throated Quail-Dove Geotrygon frenata (c) PF. Peru. PSITTACIDAE Blue-and-yellow Macaw Ara ararauna (o) PF. A p p e n d ix : Checklist of the birds of the lowland forest Scarlet Macaw Ara macao (o) PF. of the Cerros el Sira, central Peru Red-and-green Macaw Ara chloroptera (o) PF. Chestnut-fronted Macaw Ara severa (o) PF. Key: (o) = sight record; (c) = mist-netted; (h) = heard. Red-bellied Macaw Ara manilata (o) PF. Habitat key: PF. = primary forest (humid terra firme Dusky-headed Parakeet Aratinga weddellii (o) PF. forest); SF. = secondary forest (forest edge, second Blue-winged Parrotlet Forpus xanthopterygius (o) PF.