The effects of anthropogenic disturbance upon the stability of wildlife communities depend on the heterogeneity and connectivity of habitat remnants on multiple scales. The number of hydroelectric dams in biodiversity hotspots (Africa, South America and Asia) is growing rapidly. To establish their environmental impact, it is essential to understand the dynamics of wildlife communities before and following the establishment of dams. We evaluated the impacts of the filling of the Serra do Facão hydroelectric reservoir in the São Marcos river, central Brazil, on the bird community. Using data from 1,145 surveys across 20 sampling sites over 8 years, 2 years before and 6 years after the filling of the reservoir, we assessed the resistance, i.e. maintenance close to an equilibrium state during the disturbance, and resilience, i.e. ability to return to the original state following the disturbance, of the bird community. We used spatiotemporal hierarchical Bayesian models to assess the effects of reservoir filling on five community parameters: abundance, richness, phylogenetic diversity, functional diversity and species composition. In the period subsequent to reservoir filling, there was (a) a marked reduction in bird abundance, richness, phylogenetic diversity and functional diversity, and (b) a reduction in the proportion of forest species, coupled with an increase in the proportion of savanna species. Except for bird abundance, none of the other community attributes returned to their original levels, even after 6 years. Our findings indicate that Cerrado bird communities have both low resistance and low resilience to habitat loss associated with the establishment of hydroelectric reservoirs. Synthesis and applications. The environmental costs of hydroelectric dams are still underestimated or neglected in Brazil. A new paradigm in the assessment of their environmental impacts is warranted, incorporating (a) models of spatiotemporal variations based on long‐term monitoring with surveys initiated before disturbances and (b) measures of functional and phylogenetic diversity, such that society can understand the costs and benefits of the establishment of new hydroelectric dams and make informed decisions. Biodiversity loss could be minimized by ensuring the preservation and connectivity of alluvial habitats, capable of maintaining the supply of resources and the functional and phylogenetic attributes of bird communities associated with such habitats.

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Pseudis tocantins was described by Caramaschi and Cruz (1998) based in individuals from the municipality of Porto Nacional, state of Tocantins, collected in 1947. At present, this species is known only from its type locality (Caramaschi and Cruz 1998, Frost 2002). Along the years 1999 and 2001, P. tocantins was observed several times on large and vegetated permanent ponds in the Tocantins river valley, between the cities of Porto Nacional and Palmas (Brandão and Peres Jr. 2001). However, this area was flooded by the reservoir of the Luis Eduardo Magalhães hydroelectric dam, in 2002. The formation of the lake, with 62.000 ha, destroyed the habitats used by P. tocantins, and probably causing its local extinction (i.e. the type population loose) (Brandão and Peres Jr. 2001).Herein, we present two new records of P. tocantins from states of Mato Grosso and Goiás. The species identifications were confirmed comparing the animals with topotypes and with the original description. All collected animals were deposited at