Justification This species remained unrecorded for 50 years until it was rediscovered in 1995 near Una, Bahia, but there have been no more records from this locality despite subsequent searches. However, it has now also been found in Bandeira county, in the border of the Pardo and Jequitinhonha valleys, Minas Gerais and Bahia, where its very small range and population, at a single location, is declining owing to fires, logging and the clearance of steep humid valley-floor forest for cattle-ranching and agriculture. For these reasons it is classified as Critically Endangered.

Family/Sub-family Rhinocryptidae

Species name author Sick, 1960

Taxonomic source(s) SACC (2005 + updates), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993), Stotz et al. (1996)

Identification 20 cm. Medium-sized, long-tailed bird with distinctive forehead bristles. Male all slaty-plumbeous. Dark rufous-chestnut rump, uppertail-coverts and vent, although rump and uppertail coverts appear more greyish than vent, which is more rufescent. Long, pointed bristles on forehead. Slender dark bill. Female is cinnamon-brown above, with duskier tail. Bright cinnamon-rufous below. Similar spp. Very similar to Slaty Bristlefront M. ater but no known overlap in range. (one specimen of M. ater purported to be obtained Bahia by Helmut Sick is probably M. stresemanni) Voice Very different from M. ater. Characteristic falling series of musical whistled notes, slightly ascending in the end, of 10-12 seconds duration. Also semi-musical tink call.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

50-249

decreasing

35 km²

Yes

Range & population Merulaxis stresemanni was known until recently from just two specimens, the type, collected near Salvador in the 1830s, and a second taken near Ilhéus in 1945, in coastal Bahia, Brazil. In 1995, it was rediscovered in the wild when a male was observed and tape-recorded at Fazenda Jueirana, near Una Biological Reserve, Bahia¹. Subsequent searches there have failed to produce further records^1,2. However, the species was subsequently found in the Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, near the border with Bahia³. Here, too, the future of the species seems to hang in the balance: it lives in a strip of humid valley-floor forest, much of which has recently been cleared to make room for agriculture⁴ and pasture⁷. At least four birds were found in a 100 ha area, but it was thought unlikely that this density could be extrapolated for the whole 5,000 ha patch of forest⁵.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: Very little is known, but its behaviour and habitat preferences appear similar to those of M. ater¹. The male in 1995 was observed foraging on the ground and on fallen tree trunks in an area of drier forest between two humid valleys¹. It was found in humid forest at 700-800 metres along the Jequitinonha and Pardo River valleys⁷. Birds are very responsive to play-back, approaching the observer to 2 m⁷.

Threats Most humid forest in Bahia has been cleared or converted to cacao plantations, and remaining patches are disappearing very rapidly. Forest in the Minas Gerais and Bahia border area is being cleared for small (mostly in Jordânia county, Minas Gerais) and large scale cattle ranching⁷. Forest is also degraded by loggers from Bahia state⁷. Intentional or accidental fires are set every year, degrading the border of the remaining pristine forest⁷.

Conservation measures underway It is protected by Brazilian law. The sighting in 1995 was in a privately-owned fazenda adjacent to the 5,400 ha Una Biological Reserve. A reforestation project aiming to create a biological corridor between Una and Serra das Lontras is planned². 10% of the forest tract where the species was discovered in Macarani County in 2005 (the 400 ha Mata da Balbina in Jequitinhonha valley, Bandeira and Macarani municipalities) has been purchased by the Fundação Biodiversitas, a local NGO from Minas Gerais, with funds from the American Bird Conservancy, and will be managed as a Private Natural Heritage Reserve^8,9. Within an initial three-year period targets are to create an initial infrastructure, investigate the conservation status of M. stresemanni, and enhance the institutional presence in the area⁹. All the remaining forest (c.4,500 ha) is virtually unprotected and needs urgent protection⁷.

Conservation measures proposed Carry out surveys including playback in the Jequitinhonha valley to determine the size and status of this population. Search for additional populations in all fragments of lowland forests in and around Bahia, using the voice cut now available, and determine the size and status of the remaining population. Safeguard the remaining unprotected 4,500 hectares of forest in the Jequitinhonha valley, and all remaining tracts of humid forest in Bahia. Create corridors to connect small tracts of pristine forest currently disconnected from the largest tract on the Bandeira-Jordânia-Macarani border.

References Collar et al. (1992). 1. Baudet (2001). 2. F. Olmos in litt. (2003). 3. Ribon et al. (2004). 4. F. Olmos in litt. (2006). 5. R. Ribon in litt. (2006). 6. Anon (2005). 7. R. Ribon in litt (2007). 8. P. Develey in litt. (2007). 9. Anon (2008).

Further web sources of information

Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) species/site profile. This species has been identified as an AZE trigger due to its IUCN Red List status and limited range.

Fully detailed species account from the Threatened birds of the Americas: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 1992). Please note, taxonomic treatment and IUCN Red List category may have changed since publication.

Recuento detallado de la especie tomado del libro Aves Amenazadas de las Americas, Libro Rojo de BirdLife International (BirdLife International 1992). Nota: la taxonomoía y la categoría de la Lista Roja de la UICN pudo haber cambiado desde esta publicación.

Text account compilers Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), David Capper (BirdLife International), Rob P Clay (Guyra Paraguay), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International), Rob Pople (BirdLife International - European Division), Rob Pople (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International), David Wege (BirdLife International), Rob Williams (BirdLife International)

Contributors Pedro Develey (SAVE Brasil), Fabio Olmos, Rômulo Ribon

IUCN Red List evaluators Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Merulaxis stresemanni. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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