Helder Farias Pereira de Araujo

The live bird trade in Brazil and its conservation implications: an overview

Summary Brazil’s rich biological and cultural diversity makes it an exceptional location for examining the commerce in live wild birds and its implications for conservation. This paper catalogues the live bird species being traded in Brazil, characterises the trade in these animals, and discusses the implications for avian conservation. In spite of being illegal, capturing and selling birds is still a very common practice in Brazil and involves many actors who make up part of a large commercial network that distributes wild animals to every corner of the country. Our survey revealed that at least 295 bird species are illegally sold as pets in Brazil, with estimates derived from this data pointing to a total of more than 400 species - about 23% of the number of extant bird species in the country. Of the bird species recorded, two were classified as “Critically Endangered” ,n ine as“Endangered” ,s ix as “Vulnerable” ,a nd19 as “Near Threatened” according to the most recent IUCN Red List. Most of the species recorded in this study as being widely bought and sold (including on the international market) are not listed by CITES even though many of them are in fact threatened. In light of the widespread illegal trade in wild birds in Brazil and the conservation implications for the species involved, there is an urgent need for actions that can control these activities. Steps should be taken to address the illegal traffic directly and these must include monitoring, law enforcement, effective sentencing (including deterrent sentences), targeting end-users, captive breeding, and education at all levels, taking into account the cultural, economic, social, and ecological aspects of the human populations involved.

Seasonality of insects in the semi-arid Caatinga of northeastern Brazil

Seasonality of insects in the semi-arid Caatinga of northeastern Brazil. Insects are essential to tropical ecosystems functioning. In semi-arid regions, the increase in abundance and/or activity (e.g. reproduction and foraging behavior) of insects is usually associated with climatic variables. The present study investigates which climatic variables are best predictors of insect abundance in an area of Caatinga in northeastern Brazil. Individuals were sampled for 24 months using Malaise and pitfall traps, and beating trays. A total of 58925 individuals belonging to 20 insect orders were collected. The most abundant orders were Hymenoptera, Diptera, Collembola and Coleoptera. Most orders studied showed a clear maximum abundance in the rainy season. Rainfall and humidity were the best predictors of insect abundance in the Caatinga. However, no climatic variable could explain Psocoptera and Blattodea variance in abundance/activity. Our results suggest that climatic changes associated with rainfall patterns in the Caatinga may affect ecosystem processes and services that depend direct or indirectly on insect abundance/activity.

Captura de aves silvestres no semiárido brasileiro: técnicas cinegéticas e implicações para conservação.

A captura de aves silvestres é uma prática bastante comum no Nordeste brasileiro e envolve diversas técnicas de caça, as quais são adotadas conforme o tipo de espécie e a finalidade a que se destina o animal captuado. Esta pesquisa buscou caracterizar as técnicas de captura de aves utilizadas por populações urbano-rurais na região do Seridó Ocidental, no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. A área de estudo englobou os municípios de Caicó, São João do Sabugi, Serra Negra do Norte, Timbaúba dos Batistas. As informações foram obtidas entre os meses de setembro de 2009 e março de 2010 através de entrevistas semiestruturadas aplicadas a 120 moradores locais que utilizavam ou interagiam com aves silvestres de alguma forma. Foram identificadas 11 técnicas de captura: “assaprã”, “manual”, “visgo”, “arapuca”, “arremedo”, “espera”, “fôjo”, “sangra”, “rede”, caça ativa noturna e caça com cachorros. O assaprã, a espera e a manual foram as técnicas mais disseminadas na área de estudo, apresentando, respectivamente, 76, 43 e 39 citações. Os sertanejos detêm um conjunto de informações relacionadas às aves, tais como habitat, alimentação, período do ano e técnicas apropriadas para a captura, que são de suma importância para o sucesso na atividade cinegética. Assim, o conhecimento dos diferentes tipos de técnicas de captura é importante para definir quais as melhores estratégias poderão ser adotadas pelos órgãos ambientais, de modo a garantir tanto a sobrevivência das espécies utilizadas quanto das comunidades que delas dependem.

Seasonal variations in scorpion activities (Arachnida: Scorpiones) in an area of Caatinga vegetation in northeastern Brazil

Seasonal variations in scorpion activity were investigated during a 24 month period in an area of Caatinga (dryland) vegetation in the state of Paraiba, Brazil. The total number of scorpions captured was correlated with climatic variables and prey abundance. Scorpions were captured monthly using pitfall traps; their potential prey was captured using malaise, beating trays and pitfalls. A total of 104 scorpions were captured, representing four species: the bothriurids Bothriurus asper (Pocock, 1893) (n = 74; 71.2%) and B. rochai (Mello-Leitao, 1932) (n = 20; 19.2%), and the buthids Rhopalurus rochai (Borelli, 1910) (n = 4; 3.8%) and Tityus stigmurus (Thorell, 1876) (n = 1; 1.0%). The sex ratios (male:female) of the two most abundant species were 14:1 for B. asper and 7:1 for B. rochai. The abundance of scorpions captured was significantly correlated with precipitation, real evapotranspiration, and abundance of invertebrates (mainly insects). Scorpion activities, especially those of B. asper and B. rochai, may be closely related to their reproductive cycles. Reproduction apparently reaches its maximum when there is an abundance of food, which in the Caatinga is strongly associated with rainfall patterns.

Birds and people in semiarid northeastern Brazil: symbolic and medicinal relationships.

AbstractBackgroundAt least 511 species of birds occur in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil and many of them interact with human populations in a number of different ways, including their use in zootherapeutics and their links with local beliefs.ObjectiveThe present work examined these types of birds/human interactions (use in zootherapeutics and their links with local beliefs) in the semiarid region of Rio Grande do Norte State in northeastern Brazil.MethodsInformation was obtained through semi-structured interviews with 120 local residents.ResultsA total of 16 wild bird species distributed among 11 families were found to interact directly with humans, with Columbidae being the best represented family. Seven species were identified in the medicinal category, five were related to symbolic aspects, while four species were identified as being related to both categories (medicinal and symbolic).ConclusionThe accumulated folk knowledge, beliefs, and practices involving the avifauna in the semiarid region of Brazil, whether symbolic or medicinal, demonstrated the cultural importance of this vertebrate group to local human populations and revealed a belief system intrinsically related to cynegetic practices in the region.Portuguese abstractIntroduçãoNo semiárido do Brasil ocorrem 511 espécies de aves, algumas das quais interagem frequentemente com as populações humanas locais de diferentes formas, incluindo o uso como zooterápico e a inserção em crenças.ObjetivoEsta pesquisa registrou as aves diretamente associadas a essas formas de interação (o uso como zooterápico e a inserção em crenças) na região semiárida do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Nordeste do Brasil.MétodosAs informações foram obtidas através de entrevistas semiestruturadas aplicadas a 120 moradores locais.ResultadosForam registradas 16 espécies de aves silvestres distribuídas em 11 famílias, sendo Columbidae a que apresentou o maior número de representantes. Sete espécies foram indicadas apenas na categoria medicinal, cinco espécies apenas relacionadas a aspectos simbólicos e quatro foram indicadas como relacionadas a ambas as categorias (medicinal e simbólica).ConclusãoOs conhecimentos, crenças e práticas relacionadas à avifauna no semiárido brasileiro, seja no aspecto simbólico ou medicinal, demonstra a importância cultural que esse grupo de vertebrados representa para as populações locais, revelando um sistema de crenças que está intrinsicamente relacionado às práticas cinegéticas na região.

Seasonal activity of Dinoponera quadriceps Santschi (Formicidae, Ponerinae) in the semi-arid Caatinga of northeastern Brazil

Seasonal activity of Dinoponera quadriceps Santschi (Formicidae, Ponerinae) in the semi-arid Caatinga of northeastern Brazil. We studied seasonal foraging patterns of the queenless ant D. quadriceps (Formicidae, Ponerinae) for 24 months in a Caatinga area of northeastern Brazil, an ecosystem characterized by strong climatic changes throughout the year, in order to determine if regulation of worker activity is based on environmental conditions (air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation) and/or food resources (potential prey: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Araneae, Chilopoda and Diplopoda). Foraging activity of D. quadriceps varied over the course of both years, with the highest frequency occurring from May to August, corresponding to the late rainy season and early dry season. This foraging activity was negatively correlated with temperature and positively correlated with the availability of potential prey, but not with total abundance of soil arthropods or with rainfall and relative humidity. Diet composition, in relation to the main taxonomic prey groups, seems to be common to the species, regardless of habitat. Our results suggest that D. quadriceps workers adjust foraging activity to the most suitable period of the year, to avoid thermal stress and increase efficiency. Thus, they present an appropriate behavioral response to seasonal fluctuations in the Caatinga.

Climatic Variables Do Not Directly Predict Spider Richness and Abundance in Semiarid Caatinga Vegetation, Brazil

ABSTRACT Spiders are abundant in tropical ecosystems and exert predatory pressure on a wide variety of invertebrate populations and also serve as prey for many others organisms, being part of complex interrelationships influenced directly and indirectly by a myriad of factors. We examined the influence of biotic (i.e., prey availability) and abiotic (i.e., temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, real evapotranspiration) factors on species richness and abundance during a two-year period in the semiarid Caatinga vegetation in northeastern Brazil. Data were analyzed through partial autocorrelation functions, cross correlations, and a path analysis. A total of 2522 spiders were collected with beating tray, pitfall traps, and malaise traps, comprising 91 species and 34 families. Spider abundance peaked in the rainy season. Our results suggest that total invertebrate abundance has a direct influence on spider richness and abundance, whereas the effects of precipitation were mainly indirectly related to most spider assemblage parameters. The increase in vegetation cover with the rainy season in the Caatinga provides more breeding and foraging sites for spiders and stimulates their activities. Additionally, rainfall in arid and semiarid ecosystems stimulated the activity and reproduction of many herbivore and detritivore invertebrates dependent on plant biomass and necromass consumption, leading to an increase in spider prey availability.

Birds from open environments in the caatinga from state of Alagoas, northeastern Brazil

Even though the caatinga has been identified as an important area of endemism for South American birds, few studies have been conducted on the distribution, evolution and ecology of birds in this biome. Understanding how habitats contribute to maintain the regional bird diversity is extremely important. In this study, carried out in the backwoods of the state of Alagoas, we present a rapid survey of a caatinga area and discuss the composition of the avifauna in different habitats. From the record of 105 species, we estimated a local richness of 120 (± 5) species. Among the areas surveyed, the dense caatinga shrub areas contributed with more than 42% of the species, holding most of the forest-dependent birds. The open field areas and the vegetation patches contributed 26 and 24% of the observed richness, respectively. The bird community at the vegetation patches is more similar to that registered in the open caatinga shrub areas, than to the fauna of the open fields where these patches are located. Our results support the need to conserve environments which harbor typical caatinga vegetation, and also vegetation patches with those characteristics in greatly altered environments.

Temporal variations of body mass and plumage in Arenaria interpres (Aves: Scolopacidae) along the Brazilian coast

Every year, Brazil receives large flocks of nearly 40 migratory shorebirds species. The accumulation of body fat and nutrients during the summer is necessary for the long return flights of these birds and is fundamental for feather moulting and the change of their plumage. We present here an examination of the relationship between body mass and plumage change in Arenaria interpres (Linnaeus, 1758), one of those birds, over time during its wintering period on the Brazilian coast. We analyzed information collected at five traditional stopover sites along the Brazilian coast, between 1997 and 2007. During the month of September, individuals with intermediate or breeding plumage had smaller body masses as compared to other months. From October to December, adult individuals were only observed with eclipse plumage and had average body masses of approximately 100 g. In March, individuals with intermediate, eclipse and breeding plumages were recorded, but their average body mass remained at approximately 100 g. In April and May the numbers of individuals with breeding or intermediate plumage increased, and they showed significant increases in body mass at a rate of approximately 1.5 and 2.3 g per day, in the north-northeastern and south coast, respectively, leading to an average mass of 124 and 143g in these months. That is suggested to be the departure mass of A. interpres in the Brazilian north-northeastern and south coast, respectively, when starting the migration to the breeding sites.

Passerine phenology in the largest tropical dry forest of South America: effects of climate and resource availability

ABSTRACT In tropical dry areas, rainfall is predicted to be the most important climatic variable influencing bird phenology because it triggers food and foliage production. In addition, because resources are scarce, the moulting and breeding seasons are not expected to overlap. We conducted a 2-year study on the phenology of passerine birds at one site in Caatinga, South America’s largest dry forest region to: (a) evaluate the contributions of climate, foliage cover, and food abundance to the onset of the breeding and moulting seasons, (b) assess the duration of the breeding and moulting seasons, and (c) measure the frequency of the bird moult–breeding overlap. Birds can use rainfall or humidity as environmental cues to start their breeding seasons. The effects of water availability are mediated by both foliage cover and food abundance, but foliage cover is more important to the onset of the bird breeding season than food abundance. In contrast, both foliage cover and food abundance equally influence the timing of the primary moult. Because we found several cases of moult–breeding overlap, we suggest that some passerine species adapt that strategy to adjust the timing of their life history stages to the relatively short period of abundant resource availability.