New records of Lesser Grass Finch Emberizoides ypiranganus in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Lesser Grass Finch Emberizoides ypiranganus ranges through south-east Brazil (São Paulo to Rio Grande do Sul) and adjacent Argentina and Paraguay. It was recently found in Minas Gerais at Rio Preto State Park. Here, we present further records for Minas Gerais, in the highest part of Serra do Cipó National Park. In the new locality, Lesser Grass Finch occurs sympatrically with two closely related species, Wedge-tailed Grass Finch Emberizoides herbicola and Pale-throated Serra Finch Embernagra longicauda, but is restricted to marshy areas; it is the first record of all three species occurring together at the same locality. Serra do Cipó becomes the second locality for the species in Minas Gerais; both sites lie within the main Espinhaço range in central Minas Gerais. Isolated records of this species on the mountain-tops of south-east Brazil support a distributional pattern exhibited by other taxa found at mid or low elevations in southern Brazil and adjacent areas.