Black-fronted Piping-guan (Pipile jacutinga)

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EN	Black-fronted Piping-guan Pipile jacutinga

2010 IUCN Red List Category (as evaluated by BirdLife International - the official Red List Authority for birds for IUCN): Endangered

Justification This guan qualifies as Endangered owing to the rapid and continuing reduction in numbers and habitat. Despite once being abundant, extensive habitat loss and heavy hunting pressure have extirpated the species from large parts of its former range and it is now very rare outside a few protected areas.

Family/Sub-family Cracidae

Species name author (Spix, 1825)

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

Synonyms Aburria jacutinga Stotz et al. (1996)

Identification 64-74 cm. Medium-sized, black-and-white cracid. Mostly black. Large white wing-covert patch, with black tips to lesser and median coverts. White crown and nape, black forehead. White edging on neck and upper breast feathers. Broad bluish-white eye-ring. Large red throat wattle with blue base. Pale blue bill with black tip. Reddish legs. Similar spp. Other sympatric guans lack white in the wing. Voice Soft and nasal fluted whistles. Harsh machine-like wing rattle during territorial displays. Hints Concentrates at fruiting trees and salt licks.

Population estimate	Population trend	Range estimate (breeding/resident)	Country endemic?
2,500-9,999	decreasing	37,300 km²	No

Range & population Pipile jacutinga populations have declined very steeply in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, and virtually to extinction in the north and south of its range. Most remaining populations are concentrated in Misiones, Argentina; and São Paulo and Paraná^5,6, Brazil, with some in Santa Catarina, Brazil⁷. In São Paulo, it is thinly scattered over the eastern mountains of Serra do Mar and Serra de Paranapiacaba, and its stronghold lies in the contiguous Intervales, Carlos Botelho and Alto Ribeira State Parks¹¹, where the population is estimated at over 2,000 individuals¹². Isolated populations may remain in Minas Gerais (old records from Rio Doce State Park²²), but there are no post-1979 records from Bahia, Espírito Santo or Rio de Janeiro. A small population has recently been found in 17,491 ha Turvo State Park, Rio Grande do Sul⁹, which is contiguous with the 253,000 ha Yabotí Biosphere Reserve in Argentina, where the species is relatively common It was widespread in Paraguay, but the population is now estimated at 870-1,515 birds, with c.600 at Mbaracayú and the remainder at seven additional sites⁴. Numbers remain relatively high in Argentina¹⁵, where the species is now much more common than in Paraguay¹⁸. The species currently has two strongholds in Argentina: the Iguazú-Urugua-í complex (especially Establecimiento San Jorge) and Yabotí Biosphere Reserve (especially Esmeralda Provincial Park), with birds observed daily at several sites within these strongholds in 2004 and 2005^18,19,20. However, it has virtually disappeared from southern Misiones, and from nearly all sites without frequent patrols by park rangers¹⁸.It is extinct in Corrientes.

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

Ecology: It inhabits lowland humid forest (in Argentina it is more common in riverine forest^1,18) but, in Brazil, it occurs in coastal mountains to 900 m ^5,6, perhaps with some altitudinal and latitudinal movements⁸. It inhabits both primary forest and selectively logged forest. A strong association with the forest palm Euterpe edulis has been postulated but, in São Paulo, it feeds on the fruit of 41 species⁵ and both in Brazil and in Argentina it occurs where E. edulis is absent^3,4,5,18 (in fact E. edulis is absent in most of its range in Argentina). In Paraguay, the palm Syagrus romanzoffiana may form a seasonal staple⁴. In Misiones, birds have been observed feeding on flowers and fruits of many trees and vines²⁰, and they may supplement their diet by feeding on invertebrates along watercourses¹⁶.

Threats The main threats are hunting and forest clearance. In Misiones (Argentina) and eastern Paraguay, its meat is the most prized among the game birds. Its unwary behaviour makes it an easy target for hunters, leading to its rapid extirpation from areas without effective protection from poaching. In São Paulo, hunting, continued dam construction and conversion to plantation agriculture have brought it to the brink of extinction⁵. At Tabuleiro State Park, Santa Catarina, poaching levels are extremely high¹⁰. Intervales State Park has been invaded by Mbyá Indians who hunt and have cleared primary forest formerly used by guans¹³. Other localities such as Serra do Mar and Ilhabela state parks suffer from increased poaching because of the dwindling number of park guards¹⁴. In Paraguay, populations are isolated and easily hunted because there are few park rangers. In Argentina, the species is threatened by poachers in all areas not patrolled frequently by park rangers, even in parks¹⁸. In particular, the population in the Yaboti Biosphere Reserve is threatened by poachers from adjacent Brazil and Argentina²¹.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix I and protected under Brazilian law. It occurs in Intervales State Park and surrounding reserves⁵, Serra do Tabuleiro State Park (Brazil)⁷, Iguazú National Park, Urugua-í Provincial Park¹⁸, Esmeralda Provincial Park, Caa Yarí Provincial Park¹⁹, Moconá Provincial Park²⁰, Yabotí Biosphere Reserve¹⁸, and Salto Encantado Provincial Park (Valle de Cuñapirú) (Argentina)³, Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve and San Rafael National Park (Paraguay)⁴. There are several captive-breeding programmes^17,22

Conservation measures proposed Survey Limoy Biological Reserve, the Sierra de San Joaquín, and forests in San Pedro department, Paraguay⁴. Monitor populations in the Serra do Mar and Mbaracayú. Ensure protection of key areas in the Serra do Mar⁵. Ensure legal protection of Establecimiento San Jorge (Misiones, Argentina)¹⁸. Enforce anti-poaching measures⁴, especially along the western edge of the Yabotí Biosphere Reserve, which forms part of the border between Argentina and Brazil^18,21. Initiate awareness campaigns.

References Collar et al. (1992). 1. Benstead et al. (1993). 2. Brooks and Strahl (2000). 3. J. C. Chebez in litt. (1999). 4. Clay et al. (in press). 5. Galetti et al. (1997a). 6. Guix (1997). 7. do Rosário (1996). 8. Sick (1993). 9. Bencke and Mauricio (2002). 10. Tomim-Borges et al.(2001). 11. Galetti et al. (1997). 12. Sánchez et al. (2002). 13. Olmos et al. (2001). 14. F. Olmos in litt. (2003). 15. M. Pearman in litt. (2003). 16. Benstead and Hearn (1994). 17. Taibel, A.M. (Undated). 18. Bodrati and Cockle (2006). 19. G. Di Santo per A. Bodrati (2007). 20. A. Bodrati in litt. (2007). 21. Bodrati et al. (2005). 22. L. F. Silveira in litt. (2007).

Further web sources of information

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 Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), David Capper (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Contributors Alejandro Bodrati, J. C. Chebez, Kristina Cockle, Fabio Olmos, Mark Pearman

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

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2010) Species factsheet: Pipile jacutinga. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 30/7/2010

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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