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ABSTRACT The Amazon Basin harbors one of the most diverse avifaunas in the world, especially in the interfluvial region between the Madeira and Tapajós rivers, with many endemic and recently described species. Even though ornithologists have visited the region since the 19th century, there is little basic information about the local birds. Herein, the ornithological results of a scientific expedition carried out in the central and upper regions of the Abacaxis River are reported. A total of 356 bird species were recorded, including two that are threatened and five that are endemic to the region. The avian community of this species-rich region is very similar to more eastern communities, but the Abacaxis River does not form a geographic barrier for birds. The rapid loss of forest in the Amazon Basin makes it necessary to generate the type of of information provided in this study, to aid in conservation efforts.

ABSTRACT The Atlantic Forest has one of the richest avifaunas in the world, with endemic, migratory and endangered taxa. However, some of the ornithological knowledge produced there has yet to be organized and published, hindering effective conservation actions. For example, a study concluded in 2005 documented 213 species for Parque das Neblinas (PN), a private reserve located in the Serra do Mar in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, but there has been no update since. We retrieved, organized, and technically evaluated ornithological data produced for PN over the last 20 years, including that from articles, online platforms, occasional lists and a systematic inventory logging 250 field hours. Data consolidation resulted in 293 bird species for PN, including 88 endemic and nine threatened with extinction. Two-hundred and fifty-seven species were recorded by different researchers and bird observers while 141 were recorded by the field inventory, which added 24 species to the total list, showing great potential for new research. The PN bird community is typical of the São Paulo plateau, with the occurrence of species from coastal lowlands as well as drier areas in the interior, and represents an important area for the conservation of Atlantic Forest birds that is also suitable for bird observation and photography.

The great black hawk is widely distributed in South America, including Brazil and the state of São Paulo, but it is uncommon in the region of the city of São Paulo (Grande São Paulo), the largest urban area in South America. We compiled, organized, and analyzed available records of the species for this highly urbanized region in the literature, ornithological databases, and online birdwatching platforms, and produced field data. We obtained 13 records from four locations between 2018 and 2024. All records were associated with humid and flooded environments, mainly artificial reservoirs. The long period without records and the low number of recent detections suggest several possibilities: the species has always been uncommon in Grande São Paulo, perhaps for geographic, environmental, ecological, and/or climatic reasons; the species may be colonizing lakes and reservoirs created in recent decades; or the species is just a regional vagrant bird in Grande São Paulo. Nonetheless, the presence of this hawk in the surroundings of the largest urban area in South America shows the importance of the wetlands and floodplain remnants of the Alto Tietê Hydrographic Basin, which are threatened environments that urgently need protection by the establishment of conservation units.

Determining the prevalence and local transmission dynamics of parasitic organisms are necessary to understand the ability of parasites to persist in host populations and disperse across regions, yet local transmission dynamics, diversity, and distribution of haemosporidian parasites remain poorly understood. We studied the prevalence, diversity, and distributions of avian haemosporidian parasites of the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon among resident and migratory birds in Serra do Mar, Brazil. Using 399 blood samples from 66 Atlantic Forest bird species, we determined the prevalence and molecular diversity of these pathogens across avian host species and described a new species of Haemoproteus. Our molecular and morphological study also revealed that migratory species were infected more than residents. However, vector infective stages (gametocytes) of Leucocytozoon spp., the most prevalent parasites found in the most abundant migrating host species in Serra do Mar (Elaenia albiceps), were not seen in blood films of local birds suggesting that this long-distance Austral migrant can disperse Leucocytozoon parasite lineages from Patagonia to the Atlantic Forest, but lineage sharing among resident species and local transmission cannot occur in this part of Brazil. Our study demonstrates that migratory species may harbor a higher diversity and prevalence of parasites than resident species, but transportation of some parasites by migratory hosts may not always affect local transmission.

Red-ruffed Fruitcrow (Pyroderus scutatus scutatus) occurs in humid forests of Brazil. Paraguay, and Argentina. The bird has disappeared from many regions of Brazil due to deforestation but is still found in well-preserved forests as well as fragments surrounding large urban areas. The reproduction of the P. s. scutatus subspecies is not well known, with only 1 nest described. Given this scenario, we provide another nest description and information on this subspecies\" reproduction and chicks, and document insect and small vertebrate feeding at a location near the largest urban area in South America. This record was made in 2018. in an Atlantic Forest reserve next to the city of Sao Paulo. We found 2 large chicks at a nest that differs from a previously described nest in having a simpler structure. Our record is remarkable because this nest was found in the degraded area of a forest fragment close to the large urban area, which is very different from the well-preserved areas of Atlantic Forest where the previously known nest was found. Since this reserve is close to a continuous and well-preserved region of Atlantic Forest, and has areas that are in good condition, we speculate that the location of this nest may have been chosen due to an available food supply. The discovery of this nest highlights the importance of forest fragments for the conservation of this cotingid. Received 21 September 2020. Accepted 17 September 2022.

Secondary contact between species often results in the formation of a hybrid zone, with the eventual fates of the hybridizing species dependent on evolutionary and ecological forces. We examine this process in the Amazon Basin by conducting the first genomic and phenotypic characterization of the hybrid zone formed after secondary contact between two obligate army-antfollowers: the White-breasted Antbird (Rhegmatorhina hoffmannsi) and the Harlequin Antbird (Rhegmatorhina berlepschi). We found a major geographic displacement (~120 km) between the mitochondrial and nuclear clines, and we explore potential hypotheses for the displacement, including sampling error, genetic drift, and asymmetric cytonuclear incompatibilities. We cannot exclude roles for sampling error and genetic drift in contributing to the discordance; however, the data suggest expansion and unidirectional introgression of hoffmannsi into the distribution of berlepschi.

Birds' seasonal altitudinal movements in Brazil are poorly understood. The main source of information and has fostered interest since the 1980s. However, most of the available information is anecdotal, sources are repeatedly cited, and the information provided is quite superficial and speculative. Through bibliographic searches, we found 107 studies, 83 (77%) of which we consider valid, and only 63 (59%) were peer-reviewed. Most studies were carried out in southern and southeastern Brazil. Only 11 studies explicitly addressed seasonal altitudinal movements. Surprisingly, none of the studies simultaneously comprised a full year of study, standardized sampling methods, and encompassed the entire altitudinal range through which the birds might have moved. As a consequence, the quality of the data is questionable, and the expression \"altitudinal migration\" is unlikely to be accurate and has never been unequivocally demonstrated for birds in Brazil. Mention of \"altitudinal migration\" was found for 68 bird species, but these must be more clearly defined and appropriately tested.

Brazil is home to many mountain ranges which harbor diverse avifauna. However, studies on the altitudinal distribution of Brazilian birds are still few and many have never been published, hampering both the dissemination of basic information and conservation actions. Here we present a critical review of ornithological studies undertaken in Brazilian mountain ranges, and propose a classification of geographic scope, altitudinal gradient, and methodology. Since 1922,184 ornithological studies included altitude in some way in Brazil, encompassing a variety of research topics and species. About a quarter of these studies were never published in peer-reviewed journals, and 39% do not provide basic data on elevation nor link the bird species with sampling plots, thus limiting their applicability. The majority of studies are concentrated (83%) in southern and southeastern Brazil, especially in the Serra do Mar range, and so most data are associated with the Atlantic Forest. Gaps remain in other regions, such as Amazonia (Pantepui region). Most studies either did not sample the entire elevation gradient, were not standardized, lacked explicit hypothesis, or did not account for a seasonal sampling embracing the four seasons of the year, so interpretation of the observed patterns remains difficult. With this compilation, we organize the available information and point to future altitudinal research on birds, in addition to highlighting the importance of preserving habitats along altitudinal gradients in the mountainous regions in Brazil.

Red-ruffed Fruitcrow (Pyroderus scutatus scutatus) occurs in humid forests of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. The bird has disappeared from many regions of Brazil due to deforestation but is still found in well-preserved forests as well as fragments surrounding large urban areas. The reproduction of the P. s. scutatus subspecies is not well known, with only 1 nest described. Given this scenario, we provide another nest description and information on this subspecies' reproduction and chicks, and document insect and small vertebrate feeding at a location near the largest urban area in South America. This record was made in 2018, in an Atlantic Forest reserve next to the city of São Paulo. We found 2 large chicks at a nest that differs from a previously described nest in having a simpler structure. Our record is remarkable because this nest was found in the degraded area of a forest fragment close to the large urban area, which is very different from the well-preserved areas of Atlantic Forest where the previously known nest was found. Since this reserve is close to a continuous and well-preserved region of Atlantic Forest, and has areas that are in good condition, we speculate that the location of this nest may have been chosen due to an available food supply. The discovery of this nest highlights the importance of forest fragments for the conservation of this cotingid.

The Nacunda Nighthawk (Chordeiles nacunda) is an aerial insectivore and migratory species widely distributed throughout open areas of South America. Here, we report the stomach contents of one female collected in May 2023 in south-central Brazilian Amazon, along the Aripuanã River. The stomach contents of the bird consisted of 136 insects, belonging to 11 orders and 19 families; four orders and nine families are new to the diet of this species. Most of the items found are insects common in open vegetation areas or pastures. This suggests that the bird was taking advantage of the habitat transformations occurring in south-central Amazonia, where native evergreen forests are being replaced by pastures for cattle ranching. The native vegetation at our study area was replaced by pasture sometime between 2018 and 2019.