Alagoas Foliage-gleaner
Encyclopedia
The Alagoas Foliage-gleaner, Philydor novaesi, is a passerine
bird
which is endemic to Brazil
.
This species was first discovered in 1979 at Murici in Alagoas
, although there have been few sightings in that area since. In 2003 it was discovered at the Frei Caneca Private Reserve in Pernambuco
. Due to its rarity it has been classified by BirdLife International
as critically endangered. The current population is estimated at between 50 and 249.
It is a member of the South America
n bird family Furnariidae
, a group in which many species build elaborate clay nests, giving rise to the English
name for the family of "ovenbirds".
The Alagoas Foliage-gleaner is 18 cm long with plain rufous-brown plumage. Sexes are similar. It inhabits interior upland forest at 400–550 m, and has been found singly, in pairs or small groups, and often join mixed-species flocks including Lesser Woodcreeper
.
The major threat to its existence is habitat destruction, and the clearance of Atlantic forest in Alagoas and Pernambuco has left few other sites likely to support populations of this species.
The binomial of this bird commemorates the Brazilian ornithologist Fernando da Costa Novaes
.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
which is endemic to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
This species was first discovered in 1979 at Murici in Alagoas
Alagoas
Alagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti...
, although there have been few sightings in that area since. In 2003 it was discovered at the Frei Caneca Private Reserve in Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
. Due to its rarity it has been classified by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
as critically endangered. The current population is estimated at between 50 and 249.
It is a member of the South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n bird family Furnariidae
Ovenbird (family)
Ovenbirds or furnariids are a large family of small suboscine passerine birds found in Mexico, and Central and South America. They form the family Furnariidae...
, a group in which many species build elaborate clay nests, giving rise to the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
name for the family of "ovenbirds".
The Alagoas Foliage-gleaner is 18 cm long with plain rufous-brown plumage. Sexes are similar. It inhabits interior upland forest at 400–550 m, and has been found singly, in pairs or small groups, and often join mixed-species flocks including Lesser Woodcreeper
Lesser Woodcreeper
The Lesser Woodcreeper is a species of bird in the woodcreeper subfamily .It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay....
.
The major threat to its existence is habitat destruction, and the clearance of Atlantic forest in Alagoas and Pernambuco has left few other sites likely to support populations of this species.
The binomial of this bird commemorates the Brazilian ornithologist Fernando da Costa Novaes
Fernando da Costa Novaes
Fernando da Costa Novaes was a Brazilian ornithologist who worked on the Amazonian bird fauna.- Biography :Novaes was based at the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, in Belém, where he assembled the second largest bird skin and skeleton collection in Brazil. This collection has been renamed in his honor...
.