A major barrier to advancing ornithology is the systemic exclusion of professionals from the Global South. A recent special feature, Advances in Neotropical Ornithology, and a shortfalls analysis therein, unintentionally followed a long-standing pattern of highlighting individuals, knowledge, and views from the Global North, while largely omitting the perspectives of people based within the Neotropics. Here, we review current strengths and opportunities in the practice of Neotropical ornithology. Further, we discuss problems with assessing the state of Neotropical ornithology through a northern lens, including discovery narratives, incomplete (and biased) understanding of history and advances, and the promotion of agendas that, while currently popular in the north, may not fit the needs and realities of Neotropical research. We argue that future advances in Neotropical ornithology will critically depend on identifying and addressing the systemic barriers that hold back ornithologists who live and work in the Neotropics: unreliable and limited funding, exclusion from international research leadership, restricted dissemination of knowledge (e.g., through language hegemony and citation bias), and logistical barriers. Moving forward, we must examine and acknowledge the colonial roots of our discipline, and explicitly promote anti-colonial agendas for research, training, and conservation. We invite our colleagues within and beyond the Neotropics to join us in creating new models of governance that establish research priorities with vigorous participation of ornithologists and communities within the Neotropical region. To include a diversity of perspectives, we must systemically address discrimination and bias rooted in the socioeconomic class system, anti-Blackness, anti-Brownness, anti-Indigeneity, misogyny, homophobia, tokenism, and ableism. Instead of seeking individual excellence and rewarding top-down leadership, institutions in the North and South can promote collective leadership. In adopting these approaches, we, ornithologists, will join a community of researchers across academia building new paradigms that can reconcile our relationships and transform science. Spanish and Portuguese translations are available in the Supplementary Material.

El Zorzalito Boreal (Catharus ustulatus) se considera un visitante estival de presencia regular no nidificante del noroeste y centro de Argentina. En la presente nota reportamos los primeros registros para Misiones y para el noreste del país. Estos registros podrían considerarse apariciones irregulares, como ocurre con Zorzalito colorado (Catharus fuscescens) en la misma provincia.

Resumen ∙ Aunque el conocimiento de la distribución de la Lechucita Canela (Aegolius harrisii) se amplió notablemente en la última década, su biología permanece poco conocida. El conocimiento de la nidificación se basa en un solo nido confirmado, que no fue monitoreado, y una serie de observaciones de posibles nidos donde no fue comprobada la presencia de huevos o pichones. Entre diciembre de 2018 y enero de 2019, confirmamos y estudiamos un nido en una vieja cavidad excavada por una pareja de Carpintero Garganta Estriada (Dryocopus lineatus) a 9,6 m de altura en una grapia (Apuleia leiocarpa) muerta en selva Atlántica primaria del Parque Provincial Cruce Caballero, Misiones, Argentina. El nido contenía tres huevos blancos que eclosionaron en días alternos. Durante la incubación encontramos abundantes restos de escarabajos (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera) debajo de la entrada del nido. Al nacer, los pichones tenían plumón natal gris oscuro muy ralo; a los 10 días empezaban a tener disco facial como el de los adultos; y a los 24 días se asemejaban a los adultos. Un adulto pasó todo el día dentro del nido desde la incubación hasta que el pichón mayor tenía 20–24 días de edad. Desde que nació el primer pichón hasta que voló el último los adultos trajeron por lo menos 32 roedores pequeños. Hubo un pico de aportes de alimentación justo después de la puesta del sol. Los tres pichones volaron exitosamente luego de 35–37 días, lo cual está en el límite superior del rango conocido para el Mochuelo Boreal (A. funereus) y el Mochuelo Cabezón (A. acadicus). No volvieron a utilizar la cavidad una vez que voló el último pichón. Aún es importante esclarecer el período de incubación, el rol de cada sexo en la reproducción y el rol de las cavidades (e.g., como dormidero) fuera del ciclo reproductivo. Abstract ∙ Nesting of the Buff-fronted Owl (Aegolius harrisii) in Misiones, Argentina Knowledge of the distribution of the Buff-fronted Owl (Aegolius harrisii) has increased notably in the last decade, but its biology remains poorly known. Knowledge of nesting is based on one confirmed nest, which was not monitored, and a series of observations of possible nests where the presence of eggs or nestlings was not confirmed. Between December 2018 and January 2019, we confirmed and studied a nest in an old cavity excavated by Lineated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus lineatus), 9.6 m above the ground in a dead garapa (Apuleia leiocarpa) tree, in primary Atlantic Forest at Parque Provincial Cruce Caballero, Misiones, Argentina. The nest contained three white eggs that hatched on alternate days. During incubation we found abundant beetle (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera) remains below the nest entrance. On hatching, nestlings had sparse dark grey down; at 10 days old they began to have a facial disk like the adults; and by 24 days they looked similar to adults. One adult roosted in the nest all day from incubation until the oldest nestling reached 20–24 days of age. From when the first nestling hatched until the last nestling fledged, the adults brought at least 32 small rodents to the nest. There was a peak in prey delivery just after sunset. The three nestlings fledged successfully 35 to 37 days after hatching, which is at the high end of the range reported for Boreal (A. funereus) and Northern Saw-whet Owl (A. acadicus). They did not return to use the cavity once the last nestling had fledged. Further study is required to clarify the incubation period, the role of each sex in reproduction, and the role of cavities (e.g., for roosting) outside of the breeding cycle.

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