Birds from human-modified Atlantic Forest landscapes of the middle-lower Paraíba do Sul River basin, southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest is a highly diverse and threatened ecosystem that has been significantly reduced and degraded by human activities. This study provides a comprehensive inventory of bird species inhabiting the human-modified Atlantic Forest landscapes within the municipalities of Estrela Dalva and Volta Grande in the state of Minas Gerais, situated in the middle-lower Paraíba do Sul River basin, Brazil. Our data encompass non-systematic visual and audio records supplemented by MacKinnon lists collected between 2013 and 2019. Our survey identified 175 bird species, representing 54 families and 21 orders, including one species regionally categorized as Vulnerable and two species globally categorized as Near Threatened. Among the recorded species, 8.6% exhibited partially migratory habits, while 9.4% of the resident species were endemic to the Atlantic Forest. These findings underscore the critical importance of preserving forest fragments within historically degraded regions, such as the landscapes along the Paraíba do Sul River basin.