This study evaluates the seizure of birds in the state of Amazonas during twenty years (1992-2011), providing information on the sale of birds in a state recognized for its significant biodiversity. We compiled a total of 2,698 seizure records of illegal wildlife trade, which were drawn up and issued by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources-IBAMA (the Brazilian official agency for environmental license and patrol) in the state of Amazonas, during 240 months. Reports of birds seized were found in only 297 (11%) of the seizure records analyzed. The number of bird specimens ranged from 3 to 710 per year, and the taxonomic richness ranged from 1 to 24 species. Considering all seizures, there was a richness of 40 bird species, distributed in 16 families and 10 orders. Among the families analyzed, Thraupidae was the richest, with 17 species, followed by Psittacidae, with eight species. The order Passeriformes was the most represented, with 12 genera, where Sporophila was the richest, with nine species (22.5% of total species). The Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola-Linnaeus, 1766), Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata-Linnaeus, 1758) and Chestnut-bellied Seed-Finch (Sporophila angolensis-Linnaeus, 1766) together accounted for more than half (56.9%) of the total birds seized for the period. Of the species recorded in this study, five (12.5%) were listed as Endangered. Our results suggest that the illegal trade of animals in Amazonas shows a pattern different from that which has been reported in other Brazilian states. Birds were little represented in the Amazon, and the main reason for their illegal trade was related to their use as food. In addition to the cultural aspects, the richness of vertebrates in the Amazon certainly influences the choice of animals used and marketed in the Amazon region.

This paper presents the first record of the Yellowish Pipit (Anthus lutescens) in the Brazilian state of Acre. This record represents the westernmost record of the species in Brazil and provides evidence of its expansion into the southwestern Amazon basin. We also present information on the occurrence of other bird species, typical of grasslands and other open habitats, e.g., the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia), the White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus), the Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) and the Southern Caracara (Caracara plancus). These species have encroached southwestern Amazônia following environmental changes caused by human activities, such as the construction of highways and the conversion of the rainforest into cattle pasture.

Orange-fronted Plushcrown Metopothrix aurantiaca is a unique, but easily overlooked, small furnariid found in the midstorey and canopy of riverine areas in the Amazon. The species' previously published distribution includes parts of southernmost Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia and western Brazil. In the easternmost part of its distribution (Brazil), M. aurantiaca occurs in the states of Acre, Amazonas and Rondônia, east to 64°W. We present nine new records of the species in Brazil, all of them east of its previously known distribution and together extending the range by c.750 km. These new records derive from sampling that includes collecting expeditions, exhaustive várzea surveys, and incidental observations. We propose a new continuous distribution for this species restricted to white-water river floodplains with known occurrences.Orange-fronted Plushcrown Metopothrix aurantiaca is a unique, small furnariid with bright plumage and tarsal coloration, distinct from other members of its family (Fig. 1; Remsen 2003). This warbler-like bird forages in pairs or small groups and often associates with mixed-species flocks, feeding mainly by gleaning arthropods from vegetation, even