The range of the curl-crested jay: Lessons for evaluating bird endemism in the South American Cerrado

Abstract

The South American Cerrado is the largest tropical savanna of the world, and one of the most threatened biomes on the Earth. Levels of bird endemism in this biome are controversial, but the most up-to-date study points to 30 endemic species. In this paper, I analysed the recent range shift by one of those species, the curl-crested jay Cyanocorax cristatellus, comparing it with three other alleged Cerrado endemics (lesser nothura Nothura minor, chestnut-capped foliage-gleaner Hylocryptus rectirostris, and grey-backed tachuri Polystictus superciliaris) and a 'near-endemic' (white-banded tanager Neothraupis fasciata). The curl-crested jay expanded its range considerably into south-eastern Brazil during the last century, colonizing extensive areas formerly covered by the Atlantic forest, which has been almost completely cleared by human activity. I found no evidence of recent range shift for the four other species studied, but demonstrated that the grey-backed tachuri is not a Cerrado endemic. I found that the vegetation map used by previous authors to classify birds as endemics is imprecise and out-of-date, not depicting well the biome limits, resulting in an arbitrary, sometimes erroneous, classification. I suggested the adoption of a more modern and detailed Cerrado map. The necessity of a comprehensive review in the list of Cerrado's endemic birds in light of modern vegetation maps is highlighted. © 2007 The Author.