This central Brazilian EBA is located along the upper drainage of the São Francisco river at the southern end of the caatinga region in north-west Minas Gerais and south-west Bahia and on the upper Rio Paranã in eastern Goiás. The area is characterized by gently rolling land with prominent limestone outcrops. The Paranã and São Francisco parts of the EBA are separated from each other by the Serras de Santa Maria and do Paranã, located on the Minas Gerais-Goiás state border.

The vegetation is tropical deciduous and semi-deciduous forest with some trees up to 30 m tall, and more arid scrub and cacti (characteristic of the caatinga region). Lower-stature forest and scrub tends to persist on the limestone outcrops whereas taller forest is found in the more humid areas between the ridges ('serras') and outcrops. Typical trees of semi-deciduous forests in Minas Gerais where the restricted-range species occur are Bursera leptophloeos, Astronium urundeuva, Chorisia venticosa, Cavanillesia arborea, Spondias tuberosa, Hymenaea martiana and Schinopsis spp. (de Andrade et al. 1986).

Phylloscartes roquettei is known from Brejo-Januária (now Brejo do Amparo) in the São Francisco valley: a single specimen was collected in 1926 and field observations were made in 1977 (Willis and Oniki 1991). In 1997 it was recorded 40 km north-north-east of here (R. Williams verbally 1997). Brejo-Januária is also the type locality for Snethlage’s Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes falcirostris franciscanus, a taxon which is restricted to this EBA and which was treated as a species by Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993), but is considered by most authorities (and here) to be a subspecies of Moustached Woodcreeper X. falcirostris (see Collar et al. 1992; also C. G. Sibley in litt. 1996).

The other restricted-range species, Knipolegus franciscanus, occurs in both the upper São Francisco and Paranã valleys (da Silva and Oren 1992). It is often considered to be a subspecies of White-winged Blacktyrant K. aterrimus, but da Silva and Oren (1992) presented a number of morphological, ecological and distributional characters that indicate it should be considered a full species. The range of White-eared Parakeet Pyrrhura leucotis pfrimeri matches franciscanus and that taxon might also be given full specific status (da Silva 1989, Stotz et al. 1996).

Semi-deciduous forest is possibly the most threatened habitat in central Brazil. This is due to the presence of aroeira Astronium urundeuva (a valuable timber tree) as well as the fact that the region has relatively fertile soils (Collar et al. 1992). There has been extensive destruction of the forests in this EBA for timber, cultivation (especially soya beans), cattle-farming, charcoal production (to fuel the iron and steel industries of Minas Gerais) and limestone quarrying (da Silva and Oren 1992).

Given its presumed tiny range and the threats to remaining forest, Phylloscartes roquettei is considered threatened. In 1985–1986 charcoal-burners were in full activity around its type-locality, where forest cutting for pasture, and other agricultural development, were also rife (Collar et al. 1992). Searches for the species in the area since the last observations in 1977 have failed to find it there (Wege and Long 1995). There are four other more-widespread threatened birds that also occur in this EBA, namely Vinaceous Amazon Amazona vinacea (classified as Endangered), Golden-capped Parakeet Aratinga auricapilla (Vulnerable), Xiphocolaptes falcirostris (Vunerable; see 'Restricted-range species', above) and Great Xenops Megaxenops parnaguae (Vulnerable). Knipolegus franciscanus is listed in Collar et al. 1994 (p. 11) as a threatened subspecies which may be a valid species but has yet to be formally evaluated.

No reserve has been established so far to protect the natural habitat in this EBA although the creation of one by governmental and non-governmental organizations has been under consideration for some time (Collar et al. 1992).

Stattersfield, A. J., Crosby, M. J., Long, A. J. and Wege, D. C. (1998) Endemic Bird Areas of the World. Priorities for biodiversity conservation. BirdLife Conservation Series 7. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Endemic Bird Area factsheet: Deciduous forests of Minas Gerais and Goiás. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/eba/factsheet/69 on 22/12/2024.