BIRDS FROM FOUR LITTLE-KNOWN PROTECTED AREAS IN THE STATE OF SÃO PAULO, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Abstract

An increasing number of ornithological studies has been carried out in recent decades in Integral Protected Areas (IPA) in the state of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, mostly concentrated within Eastern native habitats. However, in inland São Paulo, IPA are smaller, surrounded by fragmented landscapes and poorly covered by recent ornithological studies. We aimed to carry out rapid ornithological inventories in four IPA in inland São Paulo to characterize their avifauna and to make these IPA better-known, encouraging future scientific research. We visited IPA in the municipalities of Andradina, Marília, Paulo de Faria and São Simão. We used 10-species lists conducted during 1 - 3 days in each location, from September 2021 to January 2022. Overall, we recorded 278 species, of which five are endemic to the Cerrado, one to the Atlantic Forest, and five are threatened in the State. Past records from the same areas and adjacent regions indicate a total species richness of 358 species, with five of those being endemic to the Cerrado, nine to the Atlantic Forest, and 26 threatened in São Paulo. Such results demonstrate the importance of these IPA for maintaining bird species in natural environments of inland regions. They also suggest that the detection of species of conservation interests require a greater effort, or that such individuals may have been undetected in these locations. Our database can be used for future comparisons of the regional avifauna.