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Über einige Töpfervögel (Furnariidae) aus Rio Grande do Sul, Brasilien, mit Beschreibung eines neuen Cindodes

1969; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 6; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/01650526909360416

2374-6831

Helmut Sick,

Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation

Summary Summary About some Furnariidae from Rio Grande do Sul (RGS), Brazil, with the description of a new Cinclodes, by Helmut Sick. RGS is the southernmost part of Brazil, well explored by H. v. Ihering half a century ago, but little valued at our time. To fill in this gape, E. Kaempfer worked there in 1926 and the following years, contracted by the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Nevertheless, the outstanding material of this successful collector is still waiting for complete elaboration. The author was much benefitted by being able to check the Kaempfer collection, generously placed at his disposal by Dr. D. Amadon in New York at the end of 1966. In the beginning of 1966 the author had spent some time in RGS, participating of an excursion sponsored by Mr. G. F. Pabst, Director of the Herbarium Bradeanum, Rio de Janeiro. The main aim was to gather information about certain species of birds being threatened in Brazil, especially Swans and Flamingos. In passerines there were studied, among others, Horneiros and their allies. 1. Description of a new Cinclodes from northern RGS: Cinclodes pabsti. It is similar to Cinclodes f. fuscus from the Argentine, but is considerably larger and presents different proportions of the wing. This latter fact requires more investigations: (1.) The wing is not so pointed as that of C. f. fuscus, the index of primaries (Handflügelindex cf. Kipp 1959) is only of 21% , against 31% in fuscus. That means that 21% (respectively 31%) of the total length of the wing is absorbed by the handwing. This may strengthen our assumption that pabsti is not migratory. ‐ (2.) The longest tertials nearly reach the tips of the longest primaries, whereas the tertials in fuscus cover, at the most, the shortest first two primaries. There are given some theoretical considerations on the significance of long tertials in general. In pipits, f. i., ‐ some South American species of Anthus were studied ‐ the extremely long tertials, which in fresh plumage even surpass the wing's tip, obviously protect the primaries from abrasion. It is quite evident that the sharp‐edged grass in which the pipits dwell during their whole life, operates most heavily from above, abrading, in the first place, the innermost tertials and the central rectrices. Once the tips of the tertials are weared off, the rubbing away immediately affects the uncovered tips of the primaries. In the case of Cinclodes pabsti, a sharper‐edged and denser type of vegetation than that in which C. f. fuscus lives in more southern countries (and which wears the plumage off more rapidly), may have an influence. It may be, however, that the long tertials function more in an aerodynamical sense: better adjustment of the wing to the body, advantageous for gliding during flight song, landing etc. ‐ or that there are even still other reasons. The long tail of pabsti may suggest, too, aerodynamical differences from fuscus. Apparently, C. pabsti is a resident of the northeastern RGS tableland (900–1200 m) and, probably, of southern Santa Catarina. There it was found during breeding time (December, February). In those places the species is isolated and widely separated from the breeding grounds of its nearest relative C. f. fuscus in the Argentine by a geographic barrier: subtropical lowlands, in ancient times a forest belt. C. f. fuscus reaches RGS only during migration in the winter season (in the south from July to September), and may then meet C. pabsti. The two Cinclodes, therefore, are allopatric; they replace each other geographically. C. pabsti can be considered an ice age relict. The strong differences between pabsti and other representatives of Cinclodes seem to justify the listing of this bird as a separate species and not as a geographical race of fuscus. The new Cinclodes was already found by E. Kaempfer in 1928 (see Fig. 1–2), 100 km distant from the place where the author secured it in February 1966 ‐ knowing nothing about the Kaempfer material in this respect. The 2 Cinclodes‐skins obtained by Kaempfer were stored in the New York Museum without definite classification. Some information about ecology, behavior and the accompanying bird fauna of C. pabsti. 2. Short notes on the Straight‐billed Reedhaunter (Limnoctites rectirostris) from RGS, dealing with its ecology and song. 3.‐5. Striped‐crowned Spinetail (Cranioleuca pyrrhophia), Freckle‐breasted Thorn‐bird (Phacellodomus striaticollis) and Brown Cacholote (Pseudoseisura lophotes) seem to be new for RGS. De Schauensee (1966) related on Phacellodomus striaticollis and Pseudoseisura lophotes, basing himself on statements about Brazil given to him by the author during the proofreading of said book. Taking the afore mentioned comments into consideration, the total number of known Furnariidae from state of RGS reaches 31, which represents one third of the species to be found in Brazil, namely, 92. Resumo Sôbre alguns furnarídeos do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, com a descrição de um novo Cinclodes. ‐ Durante uma excursão ao Rio Grande do Sul que serviu em primeiro piano para coletar informaç[otilde]es sôbre o ≪status≫ de certas aves aquáticas (cisne, cosco‐roba e flamingo — levantamentos a tratar oportunamente) foram realisados estudos sobre cimco espécies de furnarídeos. 1. Descrição de Cinclodes pabsti sp. n., procedente do planalto do Rio Grande do Sul (Cambará). Durante o elaboração deste material no Museu de Nova Yorque pelo autor, foram encontrados dois exemplares da mesma espécie, obtidos por E. Kaempfer em 1928 na mesma região (Vacaria), material ainda não devidamente classificado. Enquanto C. pabsti é residente no Rio Grande do Sul, o conhecido C. f. fuscus (Vieill.), procedente da Argentina, vem à esta parta mais meridional do Brasil apenas como ave de arribação, durante o inverno austral. 2.‐5. Notas sôbre Limnctites rectirostris (Gould) (espécie rara), Cranioleuca p. (Vieill.) Pseudoseisura lophotes (Reichenb.) e Phacellodomus s. striaticollis (Lafr. & d'Orb.). Todos constituem novidades geográficas para o Rio Grande do Sul, os pri‐meiros tres não constam no Catálogo das aves do Brasil de O. Pinto (1938).