Black-winged Parrot Hapalopsittaca melanotis, .... Plum -crow ned Parrot* ..... 3200 ? O. CAN. PARULINAE (8). Tropical Parula. Parula pitiayumi. 1800â2100. F.
Cotinga 19 F o u r b i r d s p e c ie s n e w t o B o liv ia : a n o r n i t h o l o g i c a l s u r v e y o f t h e Y u n g a s s it e T o k o a q u e , M a d i d i N a t i o n a l P a r k A.
B e n n e tt H en n e sse y and M. Isabel G o m e z Cotinga 19 (2 0 0 3 ): 2 5 – 33
Reportamos un censo de las aves del bosque yungas (montano) entre 2000 a 3000 msnm en el sitio Tokoaque, Parque Nacional Madidi. Registramos 201 especies, 75 nuevas para Madidi y 35 solo en el háb itat del puna durante los viajes al sitio. H abia u na buena diversidad de aves en el sitio con 80% de las aves posibles para EBA Yungas superiores de Bolivia y P erú (055). Registramos Cnemoscopus rubrirostris, Tangara viridicollis, Tangara meyerdeschauenseei y Cacicus uropygialis prim era vez en Bolivia. Registros de Ramphomicron microrhynchum y Chirocylla uropygialis aum entan su información distribucional. El área está con muy poco impacto, con un área grande del yungas protegida en Madidi. Hemos recomendado que el lugar merece ser un Área Im portantes para las Aves (IBA).
Introduction
through high-Andean Polylepis forest, puna, Yungas and treeline habitat, between 2800 and 4800 m, on 29–30 October and 15– 16 November. Each morning, we surveyed different points at least 200 m a p a rt11 arriving before sunrise and sound-recording the dawn chorus for 15 minutes. Thereafter, we surveyed different trails, covering 1– 3 km, and often pausing our work between 12h00 an d 15h00. S tu d ie s w ere co n d u cted u sin g binoculars, sound-recorders and five pre-recorded referen ce ta p es. B irds w ere observed, soundrecorded and identifications verified by use of pre-recorded tapes or playback, including rebound p lay b ack (b ro a d c a stin g th e f ir s t resp o n se to playback). For rap id assessm en t surveys, bird v o ca lisatio n s are th e b e st evidence to v erify identification11. We tried to tape-record all species at least once. Each evening we completed a checklist
Madidi N ational P ark (Madidi) covers an area of 1,896,750 h a and protects a broad range of habitats, including ungrazed g rasslands, hum id low land forest, m ontane deciduous forest, and m ontane humid forest of the Andes from tim berline to the lowlands (collectively defined as Yungas)14. Madidi covers approximately 5000 km 2of biologically rich, p ristin e upper Yungas forest, rep rese n tin g th e Endemic Bird Areas of the Bolivian and Peruvian Lower Yungas (EBA 054) and th e Bolivian and Peruvian Upper Yungas (EBA 055) both of which are considered to be of ‘U rg e n t’ co nservation priority16. M adidi is co n sid ered to be one of th e ornithologically richest parks on E a rth 13. Though the avifauna of the tropical lowlands of Madidi is well studied10 (D. Stotz pers. comm., A. Perry pers. comm., ABH pers. obs.), there has been almost no ornithological research in th e upper Yungas of M adidi, w h ere m any b ird species h av e been hypothesised to occur, w ithin a 100-km gap between study sites. To fill this inform ational gap and to assess the conservation status of the area, it was imperative to conduct an initial rapid ornithological survey.
Methods We surveyed the Yungas forest at Tokoaque (Fig.l; 14°37'S 68°57'W, c.28 km north-east of Pelechuco), from 31 October to 14 November 2001, a t 1800– 2900 m. The Yungas forest at Tokoaque is in pristine condition due to poor accessibility, rocky soils and its steepness. Most survey work was centred a t our base camp, Tokoaque, a t 2400 m, b ut ABH camped a t 2 0 0 0 m (on 6– 10 November, site Fortecillo, 14°35'S 68°56'W) and in cloud forest at 2900 m (13– 14 November). Due to dense vegetation and difficult te rra in we could only census two tra ils above 2400 m and one trail below 2400 m. We include observations made in Madidi during the access w alk
Figure 1. Map o f th e w e s te rn Yungas fo re s t, d p to . La Paz, in M a didi N a tio n a l P ark s h o w in g th e lo c a tio n o f T o ko a q u e and F o rte c illo .
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Cotinga 19
Four bird species new to Bolivia
of the day’s observations, noting estim ated abun dances, field time, distance walked and evidence (sight records, heard or tape-recorded). Three spe cies were included through descriptions by the local mule driver of diagnostic field marks or species-spe cific v o c a lis a tio n s (A ppendix 1). T axonom y principally follows Stotz et al.17
on known ranges (i.e. 80% of species possible). We also found seven species restricted to EBA 054 Bolivian and Peruvian Lower Yungas (Table l) 16. Two Bolivian endemics were recorded: Blackth ro a te d T h is tle ta il Schizoeaca h a rte rti and Rufous-faced A ntpitta Grallaria erythrotis (Appen dix 1). As Tokoaque is
