The Rufous-thighed Kite Harpagus diodon is not an endemic breeder of the Atlantic Forest: lessons to assess Wallacean shortfalls

ARETA, JUAN I.; JUHANT, MATÍAS A.

IBIS

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2019 vol. 161 p. 337 - 345

0019-1019

The migratory Rufous-thighed Kite Harpagus diodon is widely distributed in SouthAmerica, and a recent spatiotemporal analysis of its distribution that was largely basedon citizen science data concluded that it breeds (almost) exclusively in the Atlantic For-est, constituting a ?hidden endemism?, and that it is a complete migrant, overwintering inthe eastern Amazonian lowlands. However, that study missed key data from large areasthat would have resulted in a different biogeographical pattern. Here, we reject the ?hid-den endemism? hypothesis and show that the Rufous-thighed Kite is a more widespreadbreeder. We propose that to uncover Wallacean shortfalls of migratory birds correctly,(1) citizen science data must be integrated with thorough bibliographical searches andspecimen examination and (2) life-cycle categories should be critically determined: fail-ing to recognize the importance of these two key issues can undermine the ability ofresearchers to uncover the true extent of breeding ranges and timing of migration, result-ing in erroneous ecogeographical patterns. By proposing and following a set of recom-mendations, and using previously unpublished and published documented recordsmostly from the southwestern portion of the distribution of Rufous-thighed Kite, wehere show that this species breeds in the Cerrado of eastern Bolivia and is present duringthe austral spring and summer in the Austral Yungas but largely absent during the aus-tral autumn and winter, mirroring the seasonality of the species in the Atlantic Forest.