AVIFAUNA OF THE ECOTOURISM PARK CACHOEIRA DO URUBU: A FRAGMENT OF ATLANTIC FOREST IN THE PERNAMBUCO ENDEMISM CENTER, NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Abstract

The forest fragments that persist within a landscape formed by sugarcane matrix are fundamental for the faunal maintenance. Here, we present the list of bird species found in the Ecotourism Park Cachoeira do Urubu (PECUB), an Atlantic Forest fragment inserted in a landscape consisted by a sugarcane matrix in northeastern Brazil. Our consolidated list includes 117 bird species, of which 106 were recorded during our systematic surveys and other 11 species from a preliminary survey and an online database. When compared to larger fragments located in the same region (Atlantic Forest of Pernambuco), PECUB stands out for its species richness in such a small area (30 ha), with just over 40% of the number of species found in fragments 20 times larger, such as Dois Irmãos State Park. PECUB has three endemic taxa to the Pernambuco Endemism Center (Picumnus pernambucensis, Hemitriccus griseipectus naumburgae, and Tangara cyanocephala corallina) and one endemic to the Atlantic Forest (Chrysuronia leucogaster bahiae). Our study demonstrated the importance of PECUB as a suitable habitat for birds in a region threatened by forest fragmentation.