Registro histórico de nidificação de Urubitinga coronata em Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo, Brasil

Were-evaluated the skins of four eagle specimens deposited at the Museu de Biologia Professor Mello Leitão and they were identified by the naturalist Augusto Ruschi as Harpia harpyja. Our evaluation, however, revealed that one of these specimens was, in fact, an individual of the species Urubitinga coronata. This correction demonstrates that U. coronata occurrs in Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo, a region where no documented records for this eagle species existed up to this date

A review of the distribution of the crested eagle, Morphnus guianensis (Daudin, 1800) (Accipitridae: Harpiinae), including range extensions

Here we review the distribution of the Crested Eagle (Morphnus guianensis) in the Americas, and based on the Brazilian Harpy Eagle Conservation Program (PCGR) database, literature, online databases, zoos, wild and museum records, we provide an updated distribution map with 37 points outside the IUCN map; 16 were recorded close to the border of the map (up to 40 km), and do not expand or contribute to the distribution map. Far from the border (>40 km) we found 21 records, contributing to an expansion of the known range and habitat. At the northernmost extreme of distribution, the range was extended to southern Mexico; in Nicaragua, the range extension was farther south in the north, and two records extend the range to the southern border with Costa Rica. In Colombia, an old specimen is located between Darien Peninsula and the Perija Mountains. In Brazil a record from the ecotone between Cerrado and Gallery Forest, and another in an upland remnant of Atlantic Rainforest, expands the range towards central and southeastern Brazil, and to the Northeast, old records could expand the Atlantic Rainforest distribution towards the interior. © 2015, Sociedade Brasileira de Ornitologia. All rights reserved

Reduction of genetic diversity of the Harpy Eagle in Brazilian tropical forests

Habitat loss and fragmentation intensify the effects of genetic drift and endogamy, reducing genetic variability of populations with serious consequences for wildlife conservation. The Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a forest dwelling species that is considered near threatened and suffers from habitat loss in the forests of the Neotropical region. In this study, 72 historical and current samples were assessed using eight autosomal microsatellite markers to investigate the distribution of genetic diversity of the Harpy Eagle of the Amazonian and Atlantic forests in Brazil. The results showed that the genetic diversity of Harpy Eagle decreased in the regions where deforestation is intense in the southern Amazon and Atlantic Forest. © 2016 Banhos et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Genomic resources for the conservation and management of the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja, Falconiformes, Accipitridae)

We report the characterization and optimization of 45 heterologous microsatellite loci, and the development of a new set of molecular sex markers for the conservation and management of the Neotropical harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja L. 1758). Of the 45 microsatellites tested, 24 were polymorphic, six monomorphic, 10 uncharacterizable due to multiple bands and five did not amplify. The observed gene diversity of the analyzed sample of H. harpyja was low and similar to that of other threatened Falconiformes. While a high proportion of the microsatellite markers were highly variable, individuals of H. harpyja could be differentiated by a joint analysis of just three (p = 2.79 × 10-4) or four markers (p = 2.89 × 10-4). Paternity could be rejected with 95.23% and 97.83% probabilities using the same three and four markers, respectively. The sex determination markers easily and consistently differentiated males from females even with highly degraded DNA extracted from naturally shed feathers. The markers reported in this study potentially provide an excellent set of molecular tools for the conservation and management of wild and captive H. harpyja and they may also prove useful for the enigmatic Neotropical crested eagle (Morphnus guianensis Daudin 1800). Copyright by the Brazilian Society of Genetics

Effects of fragmentation on Thamnophilus stictocephalus (aves, Thamnophilidae) in semideciduous forest of Alter-do-Chão, Pará.

Effects of fragmentation on biodiversity have received much attention in recent decades, as fragmentation can greatly reduce viable areas for living organisms. We studied its effect on Thamnophilus stictocephalus (Thamnophilidae), an understory bird, in semideciduous forest fragments in Alter-do-Chão, Santarém, Pará. We tested whether the density of Thamnophilus stictocephalus was a function of fragment size and shape, density of vegetation, or arthropod biomass. Density of Thamnophilus was positively related to fragment size, but not to the other factors analyzed. Arthropod biomass was positively related to fragment size. The density of T. stictocephalus in fragments was significantly higher than it was in continuous forest. Fragmentation processes had a pronounced effect on the relative density of T. stictocephalus

Composição florística e cobertura vegetal das savanas na região de Alter do Chão, Santarém - PA

In this study, we determined the floristic composition in 38 plots of 3.75 ha (250 m x 150 m) distributed throughout 30.000 ha of savannas of "Alter do Chão", Santarém Municipality. Our surveys revealed 130 species in 45 families. The only species of dicotoledons that covered 1% or more of the area in the herb-shrub layer were Dioclea bicolor Benth. and Lafoensia pacari A. St.-Hil. Most of the area was covered by the grasses Paspalum carinatum Humb. & Bonpl. ex Flügge (16%) and Trachypogon plumosus (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Nees (22%). The grass Axonopus canescens (Nees ex Trin.) Pilg. and the sedge Rhyncospora hirsuta Vahl also covered slightly more than 1% of the area. Only eight species, Anacardium occidentale L., Himatanthus fallax (Müll. Arg.) M. M. Plumel, Lafoensia pacari A. St.-Hil., Byrsonima coccolobifolia Kunth, Byrsonima crassifolia (L.) Kunth, Pouteria ramiflora (Mart.) Radlk., Qualea grandiflora Mart. and Salvertia convallariodora A. St.-Hil. had canopies in the tree layer which projected over more than 1% of the area. Of these, only B. crassifolia (5.7%), S. convallariodora (6.0%) and P. ramiflora (2.1%) projected over more than 2% of the area. Most of the area (mean = 53%) did not have any grass, bush or sedge cover and 45% also had no tree-canopy cover. Grasses and sedges covered a mean of 39.2% of the plots, and shrubs 11.0%. The correlations between similarity matrices based on species in different vegetation strata and taxonomic groups were generally low and there was little correlation between matrices based on quantitative data and matrices based on presence/absence. Therefore, caution should be exercised in comparisons among savanna areas based on only one vegetative stratum or on only one taxonomic group

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

Variação sazonal na riqueza e na abundância de pequenos mamíferos, na estrutura da floresta e na disponibilidade de artrópodes em fragmentos florestais no Mato Grosso, Brasil

We captured small mammals in eight forest fragments (43 a 1.411 ha.) during the dry and wet seasons, in southwest Mato Grosso, Brazil, and investigated the variation in small mammal richness and abundance, as well as in forest structure variables (litter volume and canopy openness) and arthropod availability, between the two seasons. Sampling was carried out during the wet season between 2002 and 2003 and in the dry season of 2003. In each fragment, we used Sherman, Tomahawk, snap, and pitfall traps during 10 consecutive days per season, totaling 17,600 trap x nights. In total, we obtained 379 captures of 20 species, seven of marsupials and 13 of rodents. Overall capture success was 2.2% (1.6% during the wet season and 2.7% during the dry season). Total richness, richness of rodents, richness of marsupials, total abundance and abundance of rodents did not varied significantly between seasons. However, marsupial abundance was significantly lower in the dry season, when rainfall is high. Litter volume was significantly higher during the dry season, while arthropod availability was significantly higher during the wet season. Therefore, higher food availability during the wet season may have made trap baits less attractive. In general, the observed variations between dry and wet seasons are in accordance with patterns described in other studies