Dieta do gavião-real Harpia harpyja (Aves: Accipitridae) em florestas de terra firme de Parintins, Amazonas, Brasil

This study analyzed the diet of the Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja), including the influences of seasonality and land cover (forest vs. deforested) in a 3 km buffer around nests, and the frequency of occurrence and biomass of prey delivered to nestlings and fledglings. The nests were located in areas of lowland forest in settlements of Villa Amazônia (INCRA). Skulls, jaws and bones of prey consumed by Harpy Eagles were collected on the ground beneath the nest trees and from the nests at five sites between 2003 and 2005. Prey species were identified by comparison to reference collections in the Paraense Museum (MPEG) and the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA). Biomass of prey were estimated using regression equations. Harpia harpyja consumed: Bradypus variegatus (39 %), Choloepus didactylus (40 %), Callicebus hoffmannsi (4 %), Cebus apella (1 %), Chiropotes albinasus (1 %), Pithecia irrorata (0.4 %), Coendou koopmani (2.4 %), Didelphis marsupialis (0.8 %), Potos flavus (0.8 %) e Ara chloroptera (Aves) (0.4 %). About 99 % of prey were arboreal, the rest arboreal/terrestrial, also most were of habits solitary (84 %) and folivore (81 %). Sloths contributed with 86 % of the total biomass estimated. The monthly biomass consumed was on average 6.5 kg, 3.6 kg, 3.5 kg, 3.2 kg e 3.2 kg, but when material collected from nests was considered, the monthly biomass increased to 7.9 kg, 5.4 kg, 4.3 kg, 5.6 kg e 3.2 kg respectively, for the nests of Nova Esperança, Quebra-Curuá, Murituba, Laguinho and Alternativo do Ney. The number of individuals of sloths eaten was greater in the dry season. Harpy eagle revealed to be a specialist Levin ́s trophic level index for Parintins region, that is 0.105 for individuals and 0.069 for biomassa. Forest cover in the 3-km zone around four of the nests averaged just over 50% and 92% around the fifth. The amount of forest was reduced only about 1% during the course of the study, and there was no relationship between the amount of available forest in the 3-km zone around the nest and what was consumed by this eagle species in the different nests.O presente estudo analisou a dieta do gavião-real (Harpia harpyja), incluindo influências da estacionalidade e da área de cobertura florestal sobre a composição, a freqüência e a biomassa de indivíduos por espécie de presas trazidas pelo casal para o filhote no ninho. Crânios, madíbulas e fragmentos de ossos de presas consumidas pelo gavião-real que permanecem no solo sob a árvore do ninho e no interior do ninho foram coletados entre 2003 e 2005. Os cinco ninhos estavam localizados em florestas de terra-firme no Assentamento do INCRA – Vila Amazônia, município de Parintins, Amazonas. As presas foram identificadas em comparações com espécimes de coleções de referência no Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi e no Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, para quantificar o número de indivíduos por espécie de presa e a biomassa de cada indivíduo predado. A biomassa das espécies predadas foi estimada por meio de equações de regressão. As espécies de presas consumidas, em termos de proporção de indivíduos foram: Bradypus variegatus (39 %), Choloepus didactylus (40 %), Callicebus hoffmannsi (4 %), Cebus apella (1 %), Chiropotes albinasus (1 %), Pithecia irrorata (0,4 %), Coendou koopmani (2,4 %), Didelphis marsupialis (0,8 %), Potos flavus (0,8 %) e Ara chloroptera (Aves) (0,4 %). Primatas não identificados pertencentes ao taxon Cebidae/Pitheciidae perfazem um total de 5,2 %, enquanto Aves não identificadas, 4,6 %. Considerando os hábitos ecológicos das espécies predadas nos cinco ninhos, 99 % eram indivíduos arborícolas, 1 % terrestres/arborícolas, 81 % folívoros e 84 % solitários. Em termos de biomassa, as preguiças foram as presas mais importantes na dieta do gavião-real, contribuindo com 86 % da biomassa total estimada de presas consumidas. A biomassa mensal consumida nos cinco ninhos foi em média 6,5 Kg, 3,6 Kg, 3,5 Kg, 3,2 Kg e 3,2 Kg, respectivamente para os ninhos Nova Esperança, Quebra-Curuá, Murituba, Laguinho e Alternativo do Ney. Incluindo a biomassa estimada das presas coletadas na limpeza dos ninhos, a biomassa mensal aumentou para 7,9 Kg, 5,4 Kg, 4,3 Kg, 5,6 e 3,2 Kg. A dieta do gavião-real para a região de Parintins, revelou que o uso de presas foi especializado, cujos valores de amplitude de nicho trófico de Levins resultaram em 0,105 para número de indivíduos e 0,069 para a biomassa das presas consumidas. As preguiças foram consumidas com maior freqüência na estação seca. A cobertura florestal reduziu cerca de 1 % na área de floresta no entorno dos ninhos durante o período de monitoramento, mas não houve relação entre o tamanho de floresta disponível no raio de 3 Km e o que é trazido para o filhote nos ninhos

Harpy Eagle sightings, traces and nesting records at the "Reserva Natural Vale", a Brazilian Atlantic Forest remnant in Espírito Santo, Brazil

We present 25 records of sightings, feathers and nests of the Harpy Eagle Harpia harpyja in the last 27 years and also the first detailed description of a nest of a Harpy Eagle in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, found at the "Reserva Natural Vale" (RNV), Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Most Harpy Eagle records were obtained along the RNV roads by researchers and the RNV staff. Two nests have been mapped at the RNV until now. An especially relevant record occurred in 1997 when a juvenile Harpy Eagle was found dead, 4 km distant from the nest mapped and measured in 2010. The nest was 1.8 m × 1.6 m in diameter, and was built 28 m above ground, on the main fork of an Astronium concinnum tree measuring 37 m height and 1 m in diameter at breast height (DBH). This nest was the second of the species to be reported at RNV, being 5 km away from the first one, found in 1992, and built 30 m above the ground on the main fork of a Cariniana legalis tree 36 m high and 1.1 m in DBH. All Harpy Eagle records at RNV indicate that this protected area offers enough resources and has carrying capacity to maintain at least two Harpy Eagle pairs. However, because of the fragmentation around RNV, the local Harpy Eagle population cannot expand due to reduced habitat availability. The data gathered in this study confirm the importance of the RNV for the conservation of the critically endangered Harpy Eagle population of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We recommend the establishment of a reforestation program to increase the size and the connections of fragments around the RNV. We suggest that the creation and effective implementation of protected areas may contribute to Harpy Eagle protection in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, but the long-term conservation of remaining populations is an essential step to allow for the occupation and re-colonization of other areas

Abundância de gavião-real e gavião-real falso numa área sob impacto de reservatório no Baixo e Médio rio Xingu

In the Brazilian Amazon, two monospecific genera, the Harpy Eagle and Crested Eagle have low densities and are classified by IUCN as Near Threatened due to habitat loss, deforestation, habitat degradation and hunting. In this study, we evaluate occurrence of these large raptors using the environmental surveys database from Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant. Integrating the dataset from two methods, we plotted a distribution map along the Xingu River, including records over a 276-km stretch of river. Terrestrial surveys (RAPELD method) were more efficient for detecting large raptors than standardized aquatic surveys, although the latter were complementary in areas without modules. About 53% of the records were obtained during activities of wildlife rescue/flushing, vegetation suppression or in transit. Between 2012 and 2014, four Harpy Eagles were removed from the wild; two shooting victims, one injured by collision with power lines and one hit by a vehicle. Also, seven nests were mapped. The mean distance between Harpy Eagle records was 15 km along the river channel, with a mean of 20 km between nests near the channel, which allowed us to estimate 20 possible pairs using the alluvial forest, riverine forest and forest fragments. Territories of another ten pairs will probably be affected by inundation of the Volta Grande channel, which is far from the main river. The average distance between Crested Eagle records was 16 km along the river channel. The only nest found was 1.3 km away from a Harpy Eagle nest. The remnant forests are under threat of being replaced by cattle pastures, so we recommend that permanently protected riparian vegetation borders (APP) be guaranteed, and that forest fragments within 5 km of the river be conserved to maintain eagle populations. © 2015, Instituto Internacional de Ecologia. All rights reserved

Uso e seleção de recursos por Harpia em múltiplas escalas espaciais: persistência e vulnerabilidade.

Studies of the effects of deforestation and forest fragmentation on species and ecological processes have provided important background to biodiversity conservation. The Harpy Eagle (Harpy harpyja), the most powerful bird of prey, with a long lifespan, and high nest-site fidelity, returns to a same nesting-tree for decades. Its long-term use of nest sites and use of surrounding resources means that the resistant of the species depends on its capacity to adjust to changing resources. This thesis describes aspects of Harpy Eagle ecology revealed by remote monitoring techniques, such as satellite images, individual movements recorded by satellite radio-transmitters and photos from camera trapping. In Chapter I, the dynamics of landscapes surrounding Harpy Eagle breeding sites were quantified at multi-scales from satellite images. Most nests located along the roads were surrounded by a heterogeneous matrix with anthropogenic uses, such as agriculture and pasture. In the region of the 'Deforestation Arc', the remaining habitat is functionally disconnected for dispersion of Harpy Eagles juveniles. However, the functional diversity of prey species consumed by Harpies indicated that deforestation may reduce the availability of food resources. Although protected areas have contributed to the maintenance of breeding sites of Harpy Eagles in the Atlantic Forest, the Amazon probably will be the last refuge of this species, with negative implications for a long-term viable Harpy Eagle population. These results indicate the priority areas for which management and conservation actions should be directed: Atlantic Forest, along the BR163 and BR230 highways, and eastern and southwestern Amazonia. In Chapter II, locations from satellite telemetry were used to quantify the home range of three Harpy Eagles in different situations of conservation threat in the Amazon, identifying behavioral modifications and displacement patterns in fragmented landscapes. In Chapter III, images from camera traps installed near Harpy Eagle nests in the Amazon and Cerrado forests reveal ecological intra- and interspecific interactions related to nest height, and predation risk while at the nest. In Chapter IV, the availability of prey species data sampled by standard methods (RAPELD method), allowed the comparison of resource availability and its use by Harpy Eagles in breeding sites near the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon.Estudos sobre os efeitos do desflorestamento e da fragmentação florestal sobre espécies e processos ecológicos têm fornecido subsídios importantes à conservação da biodiversidade. A harpia (Harpia harpyja) é uma ave de rapina predadora de vida longa, e fiel aos sítios de nidificação, utilizando a mesma árvore-ninho por décadas. A sua permanência em paisagens fragmentadas pode significar alta capacidade de persistência. Esta tese descreve aspectos da ecologia da harpia revelados por técnicas de monitoramento remoto, como imagens de satélite, movimentos individuais registrados por rádio transmissores via satélite e fotos coletas por armadilhas-fotográficas. No Capítulo I, a dinâmica da paisagem ao longo de 10 anos no entorno de ninhos localizados na Amazônia, Cerrado, Pantanal e Floresta Atlântica foi quantificada em multi-escala a partir de imagens de satélites. A maioria dos ninhos localizados ao longo das estradas possui entorno heterogêneo em diversos usos antropogênicos, como agricultura e pastos, e na região do arco do desflorestamento, o hábitat remanescente está desconectado funcionalmente para a dispersão de juvenis de harpia. A diversidade funcional das espécies de presas consumidas nos ninhos apresentou tendência de que o desflorestamento pode estar interferindo na disponibilidade de recursos. Ainda que as áreas protegidas tenham contribuído para a permanência de sítios reprodutivos da harpia na Floresta Atlântica, na Amazônia, estes também serão os últimos refúgios da espécie, com implicações negativas para a viabilidade populacional da harpia nestas regiões. Estes resultados indicam as regiões prioritárias para as quais ações de manejo e conservação da harpia e dos hábitats remanescentes devem ser direcionadas: Floresta Atlântica, região de influência da BR163 e BR230, leste e sudoeste da Amazônia. No Capítulo II, com radiotransmissores via satélite foi possível quantificar a área de uso de três harpias em diferentes situações de ameaça e conservação na Amazônia. No Capítulo III, por meio de imagens de armadilhas-fotográficas instaladas em nove ninhos de harpia na Amazônia e Cerrado, descrevemos interações interespecíficas relacionadas com a altura dos ninhos, e o risco de predação para outras espécies utilizando os ninhos desta grande águia. No Capítulo IV, a disponibilização de dados amostrados por métodos padronizados (método RAPELD) permitiu a comparação dos recursos disponíveis e utilizados pela harpia em uma região do rio Xingu, na Amazônia

Food habits of the Harpy Eagle, a top predator from the Amazonian rainforest canopy

The Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja), the heaviest and the most powerful bird of prey in the canopy of the Neotropical rainforests, is critically endangered in some parts of its range, mainly due to hunting pressure and habitat loss by deforestation. In this study, we found that the diet of five breeding pairs of Harpy Eagles in the central Amazonian rainforest over three years was dominated by two species of sloths (Bradypus variegatus and Choloepus didactylus) in terms of number of individuals and biomass consumed. Twelve other species, including primates, rodents, carnivores, and birds, also contributed to the Harpy Eagle diet in central Amazonia; there was no evidence of Harpy Eagle predation on livestock or domestic animals. Throughout the Harpy Eagle's entire range, 69 prey species have been documented, indicating that it can use a wide range of food resources. However, in our study, there was an evident diet specialization, resulting in a niche breadth which was relatively low (Bsta = 0.171). Conservation of Harpy Eagles should include protection of nesting trees, territories, and prey species to maintain the variability and availability of resources and its ecological functions throughout its geographic range. © The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc

Avaliação da viabilidade e efetividade das unidades de conservação de proteção integral no Ceará, Brasil

We analyzed the viability and effectiveness of restricted-use protected areas aiming to identify gaps in the definition of priorities to protect wild regions from Ceará. Based on the creation of legal documents and interviews with managers of protected areas, we analyzed the size, we verified the existence of the management plan, monitoring activities and the criteria used in selecting the area. We found that in eight of the sixteen protected areas had not followed technical-scientific criteria, nor had carried through previous studies of the resources when they had chosen the areas to be transformed into completely protected areas. Fifteen do not possess management plans and 13 do not have environmental monitoring activities. Eleven protected areas have less than 10,000 ha, and insufficient studies that accurately ascertain the extent appropriate to maintain the biodiversity of the ecosystems of Ceará. It is necessary to deploy tools for maintaining these forests to protect the wildlife and the environmental services provided by these areas

AVALIAÇÃO DA VIABILIDADE E EFETIVIDADE DAS UNIDADES DE CONSERVAÇÃO DE PROTEÇÃO INTEGRAL NO CEARÁ, BRASIL

We analyzed the viability and effectiveness of restricted-use protected areas aiming to identify gaps in the definition of priorities to protect wild regions from Ceará. Based on the creation of legal documents and interviews with managers of protected areas, we analyzed the size, we verified the existence of the management plan, monitoring activities and the criteria used in selecting the area. We found that in eight of the sixteen protected areas had not followed technical-scientific criteria, nor had carried through previous studies of the resources when they had chosen the areas to be transformed into completely protected areas. Fifteen do not possess management plans and 13 do not have environmental monitoring activities. Eleven protected areas have less than 10,000 ha, and insufficient studies that accurately ascertain the extent appropriate to maintain the biodiversity of the ecosystems of Ceará. It is necessary to deploy tools for maintaining these forests to protect the wildlife and the environmental services provided by these areas