From mid-September 1993 to February 1994 avian species were inventoried at eight sites selected to sample the major biogeographic areas and threatened habitats of Masoala Peninsula of north-eastern Madagascar. The sites ranged from 10 to 1100 m elevation. Three forest types were inventoried: six sites included primary lowland rainforest (0–700 m), one site was characterized as moist montane forest (above 700 m), and one site was classified as littoral forest. Bird species and distribution were sampled using point counts and line transects, tree observations and opportunistic sightings; 85 avian species were detected. Line transects were the most productive technique for number of species detected. Twenty-four detected species were shared by all inventory sites. Six threatened and six near-threatened species were observed with notes on their ecology and behaviour. One endangered species, the Madagascar Serpent-eagle Eutriorchis astur, was first observed along a forest edge and then sighted several times at forest interior sites, suggesting that this secretive endangered raptor is not as rare as previously thought. Another species of indeterminate status, the Madagascar Red Owl Tyto soumagnei, was discovered by two villagers near one inventory site in modified habitat. Several rare and near-threatened species were found to be common throughout Masoala Peninsula: Scaly Ground-roller Brachypteracias squamiger, Short-legged Ground-roller B. leptosomus, Red-breasted Coua Cona serriana, Brown Mesite Mesitornis unicolor, Helmet Vanga Euryceros prcvostii, Bernier's Vanga Oriolia bernieri and Rand's Warbler Randia pseudozosterops; the last was only found along pristine riverine habitat. Three species were detected only at the high elevation montane forest: Grey-crowned Greenbul Phyllastrephus cinereiceps, Forest Rock-thrush Pseudocossyphus sharpei and Madagascar Brush-warbler Nesillas typica. Forest degradation from subsistence agriculture, shifting cultivation and fuelwood collecting threatens natural resources and biodiversity but conservation and development efforts can provide alternatives to meet the needs of the local people.

Depuis la moitié du mois de septembre 1993 jusqu'au février 1994, nous avons inventorié la communauté avienne dans huit sites représentant la grande partie des habitats naturels de la Presqu'île de Masoala, Nord-Est de Madagascar. Ces sites ont des altitudes comprises entre 10 et 1100 m. Trois types de forêt ont été inventoriés: six sites de forêt primaire de basse altitude (0–700 m), un site considéré comme forêt humide de montagne (plus de 700 m), et le dernier classé comme for^t littorale. L'échantillonage était fait par point d'écoute et ligne de transect. Certains grands arbres ont été utilisés comme poste d'observation. Quatre-vingts cinq espèces d'oiseaux étaient détectées. Vingt quatre espèces sont communes aux sites inventoriés. Six espèces classées comme menacé et six autres en train de l'être sont observées avec des notes sur leur écologie et comportement. Une espèce en danger, l'Aigle serpentaire Eutriorchis astur, était observée pour la première fois le long d'une bordure forestière et puis vue plusieurs fois en pleine forèt. Ce qui suggère que cette espèce en danger et trèsdiscrète n'est pas très rare comme on a toujours pensé. Une autre espèce de statut indéterminé, l'Effraie de Soumagne Tyto soumagnei était découverte par deux villageois près d'un site d'inventaire dans un habitat dégradé. Quelques espèces rares et en train d'être menacées semblaient communes dans toute la Presqu'île de Masoala: Rollier terrestre écailleux Brachyptcracias squamiger, Rollier terrestre leptosome B. leptosomus, Coua de Serre Couci scrriana, Mésite unicolore Mesitornis unicolor, Eurycère de Prévost Euryceros prevostii, Oriolie de Bernier Oriolia bernieri et la Fauvette de Rand Randia pseudozosterops. Cette dernière se trouve seulement dans les habitats longeant les cours d'eau. Trois espèces sont seulement observées dans une forêt de haute altitude de montagne: Bulbul a tête grise Phyllastrepluis cinereiceps, Merle de roche de forêt Pseudocossyphus sharpei et la Fauvette de Madagascar Nesillas typica. La dégradation forestière causée par le besoin de surface cultivable, la culture itinérante et la collecte de bois de chauffe, menacent les ressources naturelles et la biodiversité du milieu. Seulement, la conservation en parallèle avec des efforts de développement peut fournir une alternative aux besoins de la population locale. Ceci est parmi les objectifs du Projet Masoala; cherchant des alternatives pour la population locale en même temps que la création d'un Pare National qui pourrait protéger une grande partie de bloc forestier de basse altitude de Madagascar, plus de 210.000 hectares.

On islands where populations of the endemic Seychelles Fody Foudia sechellarum and the introduced Madagascan Red Fody F. madagascariensis coexist, previous studies have concluded that the two species are reproductively isolated. On Aride Island, Seychelles, one female F. sechellarum became established within a population of F. madagascariensis and produced at least two hybrid offspring. This paper describes the first known case of hybridization between the two species and highlights the possible biological consequences.

Between 1993 and 1995 the occurrence and status of Congo Peafowl Afropavo congensis were assessed at 89 sites in eastern Zaire based on interviews with local hunters (114 locations) and forest surveys (24 locations). The survey region covered approximately 125,000 km2 and was bounded by the Lomami River (24° 30′) to the west, the Albertine Rift Highlands (29°) to the east, the Aruwimi River (20° 30′) to the north and the Kahuzi Biega Park (3° S) to the south. Congo Peafowl have been extirpated or were only doubtfully present at 16 of 65 sites where survey coverage was adequate and where the species was reported to have occurred in the past. Occurrence of the species was confirmed or probable at the remaining 49 sites. Congo Peafowl were reported as locally common (> five reported encounters since 1990) at only 12 sites. We observed or heard peafowl at five sites. A single nest was found which contained two eggs. Observations on group size and habitat associations were also made. Congo Peafowl were considered to be seriously threatened at 19 of the 65 sites. Captures in snares set for small mammals and antelope are a major threat to Congo Peafowl throughout most of the survey region. Mining, shifting cultivation and logging leading to habitat loss were significant threats in several locations. Congo Peafowl appear to have disappeared from several sites where human activity was frequent, but habitat loss was not extensive. The mass movements of Rwandan refugees into eastern Zaire, which began in 1994, pose, a threat to Congo Peafowl in a number of areas. Conservation of the Congo Peafowl in eastern Zaire is best assured in the Maiko National Park where the species appears to be locally common. Further surveys within the Congo Peafowl's range in central Zaire, and study of the behaviour and ecological needs of the species are recommended.

In the 1950s the Seychelles Warbler Acrocephalus sechellensis was a highly threatened single-island endemic species with a population of 26 individuals confined to Cousin Island in the inner Seychelles. Following long-term management of Cousin, the population steadily recovered to around 300–360 birds. In order to give the species the security of additional breeding populations, some warblers were successfully transferred to the islands of Aride and Cousine in September 1988 and June 1990 respectively. During the three years after the transfer to Aride and the first year after the transfer to Cousine, mean territory quality (measured as insect prey available) on these islands was significantly higher than that on Cousin, leading to higher reproductive success per territory and survival of juveniles and adult birds. In November 1991, all transferred birds were still alive, and 205 young had fledged successfully, bringing the total warbler population to c.585 birds. By then there was enough suitable space still remaining on Aride and Cousine for young birds to establish territories and the rise in warbler numbers is expected to continue. The successful establishment of three self-sustaining and viable breeding populations has ensured that the Seychelles Warbler is no longer a globally threatened species.

Since the 1940s, horticulturalists (the Lese) have been settled along the sides of the roads that traverse a large part of the forest in eastern Zaire. These people have maintained their lifestyle of shifting cultivation and trade with the Mbuti pygmies. This has resulted in corridors of heavily disturbed and regenerating forest. The results of a study of the understorey bird community at three sites in the Okapi Reserve in the Ituri forest in Zaire are reported here. Two primary forest sites (one monodominant Gilbertiodendron forest) in the Reserve were compared with an area of forest disturbed by shifting cultivation. The two primary forest sites were more similar in species composition than they were to secondary forest created by shifting cultivation. Shifting cultivation had a more severe impact on the bird community than selective logging does in forests in Uganda and Malaysia. There was a shift following disturbance from a bird community dominated by insectivores to one with more frugivore-insectivores and nectarivores. Ground thrushes Zoothera spp. and flycatchers were abundant in the monodominant Gilbertiodendron forest and appear to suffer from the change in forest structure following disturbance. The Okapi Reserve currently conserves some important bird species and at least 333 birds have been reported to occur there.

Observations of the Horned Curassow Pauxi unicomis in Amboro National Park, depto. Santa Cruz, Bolivia, allowed us to assess the status of a species whose habits in the wild were virtually unknown. Vocalizations, including call notes and the deep booming song, are described. Density was estimated by counting booming birds in the breeding season using a three-hide triangulation method. The study showed birds to be aggregated in one part of the study area. A nest of was found and the incubating female was observed for nine days: the individual incubated alone, left the nest at night, and returned at first light.

Observaciones de la Pava Copete de Piedra (Pava Crista Azul) Pauxi unicomis en el Parque Nacional Amboró, depto. Santa Cruz, Bolivia, nos permitió evaluar el estado de una especie cuyo comportamiento en el ambiente silvestre es prácticamente desconocido. Se describen vocalizaciones, que incluyen notas de llamada “call notes” y el profundo canto de estampida “deep booming song.” Se estimó la densidad de las aves por conteo de los sonidos de estampida “booming birds” durante la estacion reproductiva, usando un método de triangulación con tres puestos de observatión. Este estudio mostró que las aves se agregaban en una parte del área del estudio. Se encontró un nido de Pauxi unicomis y al hembra fue observada durante nueve dias durante la incubación; la hembra incubaba sóla, dejaba el nido por la noche y regresaba a las primeras horas del amanecer.

An annotated compendium of all those bird species known to have occurred in the lowland “Man and Biosphere” Beni Biological Station (B.B.S.) reserve is provided. Previous checklists are reviewed, together with sightings accumulated over the 1992–1995 period during which approximately 70 new species have been added to the reserve inventory, bringing the total to 478. Occurrence across the 12 delineated habitats, relative abundance and sighting documentation are given for each species. The avifauna of the B.B.S. is mixed biogeographically; in addition to a substantial component of lowland birds widespread throughout South America, it is composed of Amazonian, cerrado and chaco elements also. Representation from the Bolivian Yungas is minimal. Significantly, no less than four threatened and 15 near-threatened species have occurred, including the little known Bolivian endemic Unicoloured Thrush Turdus haplochrous, and the enigmatic White-winged Nightjar Caprimulgus candicans, known until recently only from Emas National Park (Brazil). Short accounts are provided detailing records of all of these species. Birds of the reserve core, consisting largely of humid tropical forest formations inundated during the austral summer, appear not to be subjected currently to any serious environmental degradation, although some subsistence clearance by Chimane Indians in the northern reaches of the reserve gives some cause for concern. Of much greater import, however, are changes occurring outside the confines of the B.B.S. These include increasing urbanization immediately to the west (and associated road upgrading) and forest fragmentation to the south brought about by logging. The latter is especially worrying because linkage of the B.B.S. forest block to surrounding forest is already physically tenuous, and therefore it is imperative that future logging activities be geared to minimize isolation occurring and the damaging restriction of gene flow. Monitoring in rainforest immediately south of the reserve should become routine to warn of putative avifaunal impoverishments. Extensive surveying of the 2,500-ha El Porvenir éstancia (savanna and related forest islands) due to be assimilated shortly into the B.B.S., which constitutes less than 2% of the area under consideration, has shown that it is used by no less than three threatened and up to nine near-threatened species. In the absence of data relating to other savanna areas (c. 15%) at present, the exact status of each species at the B.B.S. remains imprecise and begs for further research to be undertaken. Unfortunately, present management of the El Porvenir savanna is not conducive to the long-term maximization of populations of these species, several of which have local strongholds in this part of Beni. We recommend that the current policy of cattle ranching adopted by this éstancia should cease or be reduced dramatically, to minimize grazing and trampling damage, and that measures should be taken to reduce incursions of fires started wilfully in neighbouring properties. The Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia, which administers the reserve, should be encouraged to safeguard and enhance the savanna complement further by ensuring that the impending ratification of El Porvenir proceeds as quickly as possible, and by purchasing additional tracts of land to the south of the present southern reserve boundary, where feasible. Such actions should not only secure the future of the biota of the savanna habitat within the B.B.S. but also should ameliorate the degree of isolation which has occurred already by preserving the “curiches” (former river beds) and forest islands which act as access corridors for forest-dwelling and other birds.

Loru Protected Area covers 220 ha and is situated on the east coast of Espiritu Santo, the largest island in the archipelago of Vanuatu. Despite its small size, 23 of the 64 breeding land and freshwater birds of Vanuatu were sighted in Loru and 10 of the 23 restricted-range species, including two Vulnerable, one Near-threatened and five species endemic to the archipelago. Transects were used to estimate the densities of populations which were either easy to see or had distinctive calls. Variable circular plots were also used to estimate density and to examine the relationship between bird populations and habitat. Plots were allocated to one of two categories, undisturbed, mature lowland forest or disturbed, secondary growth forest. Populations of three species differed significantly between the two habitats: Red Jungle Fowl Gallus gallus, Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis and Vanuatu Flycatcher Neolalage banksiana. All had higher densities in undisturbed forest. More protected areas need to be established on Santo and other islands in the archipelago to ensure the future survival of the Vanuatu avifauna.

Loru Protected Area s'étend sur 220 hectares sur la côte est d'Esprirtu Santo, la plus grande île de l'archipel de Vanuatu. Malgré sa petite taille, 23 des 64 oiseaux de terre et d'eau douce de Vanuatu ont été observés à Loru lors de la reproduction, ainsi que 10 des 23 espèces peu nombreuses, dont deux sont “Vulnerable”, une est “Near-threatened” et cinq sont endémiques à l'archipel. Des lignes imaginaires furent tracées pour estimer les densités de populations qui étaient faciles à voir ou qui avaient un cri distinctif. Différentes parcelles de terre circulaires furent aussi utilisées pour estimer la densité et examiner les relations entre les oiseaux et leur habitat. Les parcelles furent allouées à l'une des deux catégories suivantes, soit à la forêt de plaine intacte et adulte, soit à la forêt issue d'une deuxième pousse. Selon l'habitat, le nombre d'oiseaux recensé appartenant aux trois espèces: Coq Bankiva Gallus gallus, Siffleur d'Or Pachycephala pectoralis et Gobe-mouches de Vanuatu Neolalage banksiana, fut très différent. Toutes avaient une densité plus importante dans la forêt intacte. Il est nécessaire d'établir de plus grandes réserves sur l'île de Santo ainsi que sur d'autre îles de l'archipel afin d'assurer la survie des oiseaux de Vanuatu.

Loru Protected Area i kavremap 220 ha mo i stap klosap long solwota long is Santo, wan aelan we i moa big long ol narafala aelan blong Vanuatu. Loru i smol be hemi gat 23 blong 64 kin pijin we i stap long Vanuatu ol yea nomo, mo 10 blong 23 kin pijin blong Vanuatu we i gat plente long narafala kontri tu. Long ol pijin ia, tu kin i “Vulnerable” (numba blong hem i stap ko doan kwiktaem), wan i “Near-threatened” (i stap klosap long “Vulnerable”) mo faef i stap long Vanuatu nomo. Long ol pijin we i esi long lukluk o i singaot strong, i makem wan spesel sove blong rod blong bus long faenemaot hamas pijin i stap long wan eria. I stap makem wan narafala kin sove tu we man i stap kwaet long plente difren ples long faenemaot hamas pijin i stap mo wanem kin bus i likem. Evri ples we man i stap kwaet long sove ia, i givem spesel nem long wanem kin bus i stap: wan kin we ol bigfala wud i stap mo wan kin we man o hurican i spolem. I gat tri pijin wea ol i difren tumas long tu kin bus ia: Wael Faol Gallus gallus, Nosor (es Santo langwis) Pachycephala pectoralis mo Kowboe Pijin Neolalage banksiana. Long pijin ia i gat moa long kin bus we bigfala wud i stap. I nidim plente moa protected area long Santo mo ol narafala aelan blong Vanuatu sipos i no wantem lusen samfala pijin blong Vanuatu long fiuja.

The Chestnut-bellied Partridge Arborophila javanica is confined to the hill and mountain forests of Java. Until recently, its range was thought to be restricted to the western and eastern part of the island. Surveys performed in March-September 1994 in the central part of the island showed it to be present there as well. The species was found in six remnant forest patches where it was not known to occur. Data on habitat preferences and altitudinal distribution are given.

The island of Buru in Maluku province, Indonesia was visited in November and December 1989. Using a point count method, we assessed the conservation status of the island's restricted-range lowland birds by examining their abundance and habitat associations. Thirteen of Buru's 19 lowland restricted-range species were recorded during the fieldwork. Of these we assign nine (White-eyed Imperial Pigeon Ducula perspicillata, Moluccan Red Lory Eos bornea, Bum Racquet-tail Prioniturus mada, Black-tipped Monarch Monarcha loricatus, White-naped Monarch Monarcha pileatus, Dark-grey Flycatcher Myiagra galeata, Flame-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrothorax, Bum Yellow White-eye Zosterops buruensis and Black-faced Friarbird Philemon moluccensis) to IUCN's Safe/Low risk category of threat, on the basis of their large populations, widespread occurrence on Bum and association with non-pristine habitats. We recommend that the remaining six of the recorded species remain Data-deficient but some of these (e.g. Blue-fronted Lorikeet Charmosyna toxopei and Bum Cuckoo-shrike Coracina fortis) may be Vulnerable. While data on the birds which we did not record are obviously needed, we suggest that the amount of forest remaining, the abundance of many species and their tolerance of selectively logged forests bodes well for the immediate future of the bulk of Buru's lowland avifauna.

Olrog's Gull Larus atlanticus is a threatened and endemic species to the Argentine Atlantic coast. We present information on seven new colonies and update information on known colonies obtained during 1992–1995. Five of the new colonies were in southern Buenos Aires and two in southern Chubut. Total population size, including already known colonies, was estimated at 2,300 breeding pairs. All colonies were located on islands and islets and were associated with breeding Kelp Gulls Larus dominicanus. The new colonies extend the known breeding range of Olrog's Gull to the north and increase the overall known population size. However, the aerial survey also showed that two colonies found in 1990 no longer exist. Almost 40% of the total breeding population breed within the Bahía Blanca estuary, an area currently subject to intense human pressure. Olrog's Gull is still a species with restricted distribution and low population size. We suggest conservation actions needed to adequately protect this threatened species.

Raccoons Procyon lotor were introduced into the Haida Gwaii archipelago of British Columbia in the 1940s and have spread throughout the islands. Although feeding mainly on inter-tidal invertebrates, they also take seabirds. Haida Gwaii supports internationally important populations of several species of burrow-nesting auks. In 1993, we visited several islands to determine the current status of their seabird populations. We found extensive signs of predation on auks by raccoons, including burrows that had been excavated and carcasses from which little had been eaten, suggesting excess killing. On islands with raccoons, numbers of burrow nesting auks had fallen by as much as 80% since 1986, whereas on islands without raccoons numbers had remained stable or increased. The evidence obtained suggests that burrow nesting auks will not coexist with raccoons and that once raccoons are established the auk populations will be rapidly extirpated.

The avifauna of a pristine lowland Atlantic forest in south-east Brazil was studied over 2 years. A total of 234 species was recorded, of which 190 species (81.54%) occured in forested habitats. Thirty one species are listed as threatened or near-threatened and information on habitat and abundance is described for each species. The Parque Estadual Intervales holds one of the last pristine lowland Atlantic forests and it is one of the few reserves that encompasses a large altitudinal gradient. In the past few years the protection of the reserve has been threatened by palm harvesting, hunting, dams and mining.

A avifauna de uma regiao de Mata Atlântica de baixada no sudeste do estado de São Paulo foi estudada por um periodo continuo de 2 anos. Foram observados um total de 234 espécies de aves sendo que 190 espécies (81,54%) ocorreram predominantemente em ambientes florestais primários e perrubados. Trinta e uma espécies São consideradas ameaçadas ou vulneráveis e informações sobre hábitat e abundância são fornecidas. Nos últimos anos a proteção da reserva está ameaçada pelo corte do palmito, caça, construções de hidroéletricas e mineração.

Both breeding and midwinter populations of the Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca are in decline throughout Europe. As part of an action plan for the species currently being prepared, a comprehensive Turkish site inventory was made. The Turkish breeding and midwinter populations (500–600 pairs and 0–1,500 birds respectively) are amongst the most important in Europe but have been subject to significant and probably long-term declines. Of 25 breeding sites identified in this study, only 10 are considered to hold more than 10 pairs, seven are probably no longer suitable and the rest probably all support fewer than five pairs. Thirty-one localities have held birds in winter but of these 18 have been unoccupied in the 1990s. Significant numbers appear to remain in Turkey only during particularly mild winters. Measures for its effective conservation in Turkey are outlined. A comprehensive site inventory, based on fieldwork directed to potential breeding localities, and monitoring of important sites identified by this study and earlier surveys are urgently required.

The Red-legged Kittiwake Rissa brevirostris is a small gull which is restricted to four breeding locations, all in the Bering Sea (Pribilof Islands, Bogoslof Island, Buldir Island, and the Commander Islands). In the mid-1970s, when the earliest counts were made at most sites, approximately 260,000 birds were present at breeding colonies. Subsequent counts indicated that populations at Bogoslof and Buldir had increased by the early 1990s. Data for the Commander Islands were inadequate to make strong conclusions about trends but there were no indications of substantial change between the 1970s and 1990s. In contrast, Red-legged Kittiwakes have declined in the Pribilof Islands by approximately 50% since the mid-1970s, a matter of concern because this island group once contained more than 80% of the world's population. Research is needed to determine causes for declines in Red-legged Kittiwakes and population monitoring should continue to provide a basis for conservation measures.

Tropical forests are disappearing very rapidly, so there is often not time for thorough quantitative studies. It therefore becomes increasingly important to use rapid, reliable and informative methods which are also adjusted to tropical logistic constraints. In this paper we use data from seven dry and semi-humid temperate forest patches in Bolivia and three humid, temperate forests in Ecuador to estimate the efficiency, potential biases and the amount of information obtained by the 20-species list method, which we applied in a rapid assessment of avian species richness. Even when used without any standardizations, 20-species lists produce more data than simple species lists, particularly on the amount of survey effort, the order of species richness, the relative abundances of species and the α-diversity index. This approach precludes comparisons with lists from other sites. However, when applied with standardization of area, altitude and effort, the method is neither easier to use nor superior to point counts (based upon vocalizations) in combination with dawn chorus tape-recordings. In species-poor habitats, it is more appropriate to use lists of fewer species. The method is recommended due to its simplicity and the increased quantity of information produced, but it requires a reasonable amount of observer competence and is therefore unfit for use by people ignorant of local avifaunas.

In a recent article in this journal, Remsen (1995) attacked moral (and other) objections to killing birds for museum collections, objections that are frequently raised by the general public and scientific community alike. The only grounds for moral objections against killing birds that Remsen considers and rejects are reverence for all life or personal (p. 157; all page references refer to Remsen 1995), that is sentimental (p. 165) reasons. What Remsen ignores is avian sentience and the moral imperative of respecting it.

We correct the limits of the range and analyse the geographical variation of the Moustached Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes falcirostris, an endemic species of north-eastern Brazil. A single, undated specimen of Moustached Woodcreeper from Posse, Goiás, in the Paranā River Valley was probably collected somewhere on the left bank of the Sāo Francisco River. Analysis of the plumage variation and five body measurements indicates that it is not always possible to separate the populations of the Moustached Woodcreeper into the two subspecies currently recognized. In spite of this, given the importance of this bird as an indicator species for conservation, we suggest that the current recognition of the subspecies be maintained until genetic studies provide a definitive answer to this taxonomic question. Moustached Woodcreepers are particularly associated with patches of dry forest growing on rich soils, in north-eastern Brazil. In the past decades, this type of vegetation has been drastically modified by human activities. Only an urgent plan to establish a network of reserves for tropical dry forests in north-eastern Brazil can prevent the complete destruction of this habitat and of its poorly known biological resources.

Nós corrigimos os limites da distribuiçāo e analisamos a variaçāo geográfica do Cochi-do-nordeste Xiphocolaptes falcirostris, uma espécie endêmica do Nordeste brasileiro. Um único espécime sem data de X. falcirostris coletado em Posse, Goiás, no vale do rio Paranā, foi provavelmente coletado em algum lugar na margem esquerda do vale do rio Sāo Francisco. Análise da variaçāo da plumagem e de cinco medidas do corpo indicam que nāo é sempre possivel separar as populaçōes de Cochi-do-nordeste em duas subespécies, tal como é feito atualmente. Apesar disso, em consideraçāo à importância desse arapacu como espécie indicadora, nós sugerimos que o Cochi-do-nordeste ainda seja considerado uma espécie com duas subéspecies, até que essa questāo taxonômica seja resolvida definitivamente através de estudos genéticos. Cochis-do-nordeste sâo particularmente associados com manchas de florestas secas crescendo sobre solos ricos no Nordeste brasileiro. Nas ultimas décadas, este tipo de vegetaçāo tem sido drasticamente modificado por atividades humanas. Nós sugerimos que somente um piano urgente visando o estabelecimento de um sistema de reservas para as florestas tropicais secas no nordeste do Brasil possa prevenir a completa destruiçāo desse habitat e de seus pouco conhecidos recursos biológicos.

In July and August 1994, we surveyed two areas in the south of the Cordillera de Colán, Amazonas department, Peru, above the north bank of the río Utcubamba. We found a high rate of deforestation, with trees being felled for timber, forest being cleared for the cultivation of cash crops, and elfin forest being burned for pasture. Most of the forest on the mountain range may have been cleared in 10 years. We recorded a number of important bird species, highlighting the significance of the area for the conservation of biodiversity; globally threatened birds included Peruvian Pigeon Columba oenops, Military Macaw Ara militaris and Royal Sunangel Heliangelus regalis. Elfin forest is under particular threat in the area, but probably still holds species such as Long-whiskered Owlet Xenoglaux loweryi. We recommend that a protected area containing areas of cloud-forest and elfin forest be established on the Cordillera de Colán.