La avifauna del Parque Provincial Cruce Caballero, Provincia de Misiones, Argentina

BODRATI, A; COCKLE, K; SEGOVIA, J; ROESLER, I; ARETA, JI; JORDAN, E

COTINGA (SANDY)

Neotropical Bird Club

Año: 2010 vol. 32 p. 41 - 64

1353-985X

Among the most diverse and threatened regions in the world is the Atlantic Forest of south-eastBrazil, eastern Paraguay and the province of Misiones in Argentina. Only c.8–10% of this forestremains, nearly all of it degraded by selective logging. During 341 days in 1997–2010, we studiedthe avifauna of one of the few remaining patches of mature Atlantic Forest in Argentina, CruceCaballero Provincial Park. In and around this 600-ha park we identified 312 species of birds in53 families, 280 of them documented by tape-recordings or photographs. Of these species, 19 areglobally threatened, 50 threatened in Argentina, and 73 endemic to the Atlantic Forest. The parkconserves key populations of Helmeted Woodpecker Dryocopus galeatus, Araucaria Tit-SpinetailLeptasthenura setaria, Bay-ringed Tyrannulet Phylloscartes sylviolus and São Paulo TyrannuletP. paulista. Other threatened species, including White-bearded Antshrike Biatas nigropectus,Canebrake Groundcreeper Clibanornis dendrocolaptoides and Vinaceous Amazon Amazonavinacea are more common outside the park in the mosaic of small farms and forest fragmentsbetween San Pedro and Santa Rosa. Black-fronted Piping Guan Pipile jacutinga appears to beextirpated from the park and Blue-winged Macaw Primolius maracana is apparently extirpatedfrom Argentina. We did not record Bare-throated Bellbird Procnias nudicollis and we consider ithypothetical for the park. The mass flowering and death of takuapi bamboo Merostachys claussenii in 2004–07 generated major changes in the understorey vegetation, resulting in changes in thepresence and abundance of many species. To conserve the avifauna of this small Atlantic Forestpark it is of key importance to continue to improve environmental education in the surroundingfarmlands. Isolation of the park can be avoided by adding neighbouring lots that still support nativeforest, and by providing small-holder farmers with technical and financial support to promotesustainable crops such as Araucaria angustifolia, rather than the current model of slash-and-burntobacco farming.