Parana Antwren (Stymphalornis acutirostris) - BirdLife species factsheet

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EN	Parana Antwren Stymphalornis acutirostris

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

Justification This recently described species is Endangered because it has a very small and severely fragmented range, which is declining in response to habitat loss.

Family/Sub-family Thamnophilidae

Species name author Bornschein, Reinert & Teixera, 1995

Taxonomic source(s) SACC (2005 + updates)

Identification 13.5 cm. Medium-sized but slender antwren. The male is dark chocolate brown above and dark plumbeous below. Some have a faint white mottling on chin and malar. Dusky wings. Black wing-coverts fringed white. Blackish tail with small white tips to feathers. No whitish flank plumes. Females are paler brown above, greyer and speckled around the face. Whitish underparts, coarsely streaked blackish. Wings and tail as in the male, but browner. Voice Both sexes deliver constant whistled and repeated piu-píc or píc-piu nasal notes, and both also deliver nhééé calls and soft pic contact calls.

Population estimate	Population trend	Range estimate (breeding/resident)	Country endemic?
10,000-19,999	decreasing	1,900 km²	Yes

Range & population Stymphalornis acutirostris is known in a discrete area in coastal Paraná, Santa Catarina and Sao Paulo, southern Brazil. It was found in 1995 in a small marsh near Matinhos city, southern Paraná coast¹. Subsequent surveys have found the species at Antonina, Morretes, Paranaguá, Pontal do Paraná and Guaratuba municipalities in Paraná state, and at Garuva, Itapoá, Joinville, Araraquari, Balneário Barra do Sul, Guaramirim, São João do Itaperiú and Barra Velha municipalities in Santa Catarina state^2,3,4. The taxonomic position of birds present at the Tiete river mouth, Sao Paulo requires clarification and it has been suggested that they may represent a separate species⁴. The stronghold is Guaratuba Bay, where it is known in Ilha do Chapeu, Chapeuzinho and the lower thirds of the rios São João, Cubatão, São Joãozinho, Descoberto, Boguaçu, Preto, Parado and Alegre^3,4, which holds the largest subpopulation (more than 7,000 individuals)^3,4. All populations are restricted to small patches or narrow tracts of habitat^3,4.

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

Ecology: It exclusively inhabits littoral marshes, dominated by Scirpus californicus with other marsh vegetation (especially Asteraceae and Poaceae) such as grasses and bushes. It also occurs in riverine marshes, flooded plains with herbaceous vegetation and transition areas to mangrove swamps and flooded lowland florests with herbaceous strata. Most localities are subject to periodic fluctuations in water-levels. It is mostly found in pairs in low, dense vegetation. It forages mostly below 60 cm and the diet appears to consist exclusively of arthropods⁵.

Threats Some patches of habitat, including the type-locality, are under constant human pressure and have been reduced by fires, allotments and landfills. Other threats include land acquisition, disturbance from boat traffic on rivers during the breeding season, erosion due to water traffic, sand extraction from river margins, invasive vegetation (especially Brachiaria spp.) and cattle-grazing^1,2,3,4,5. The species also could be affected by sea level rise, which could greatly reduce the area of suitable habitat⁵.

Conservation measures underway Proposals for action have been put to governmental agencies but no action has yet been taken^2,3,4,5.

Conservation measures proposed Protect key sites, especially in Guaratuba Bay^4,6. Conduct long-term population monitoring to ascertain trends. Clarify taxonomic status of Sao Paulo birds.

References 1. Bornschein et al. (1995). 2. Bornschein and Reinert (1997). 3. Reinert (2001). 4. Reinert et al. in press. 5. Reinert et al. unpubl. data. 6. Bencke et al. (2006). 7. Gonzaga (2001).

Text account compilers Rob Pople (BirdLife International - European Division), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Contributors Fabio Olmos, B.L Reinert (Mater Natura Instituto de Estudos Ambientais)

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

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2010) Species factsheet: Stymphalornis acutirostris. 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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