Checklist of the birds of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

ABSTRACT

Contrasting with several other Brazilian states, just recently the state of Mato Grosso do Sul started to organize an inventory of its birdlife. We list 630 species of birds for the Mato Grosso do Sul, belonging to 26 orders and 74 families, representing 34% of birds occurring in Brazil. About 90% of these species have documented records of its occurrence in the state (Main List), according to proposed by CBRO. The others species still wait for adequate supporting documentation (Secondary List). Forty five species were excluded for the Main List and included in Tertiary List due to problems in supporting documentation and/or incompatible distribution. The variety of landscapes and vegetation types under the influence of the biomes Cerrado, Pantanal, Atlantic forest, Chaco and Bosque Chiquitano is partly responsible for the high species diversity in Mato Grosso do Sul. However, several of these landscapes have been suppressed and/or severely altered by pastures, agriculture (mostly monocultures of sugar cane and soybeans) and agroforestry ( Pinus and Eucalyptus). Thirty-seven species of birds occurring in the state were present on red lists at the global and/or national level. There are still large gaps in knowledge about the avifauna of Mato Grosso do Sul, mainly in the region of Paiaguás in the Pantanal wetlands and in neighboring regions with the state of Goiás, Paraguay (Chaco) and Bolivia ( Bosque Chiquitano). Institutions such as Embrapa Pantanal and the Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, as well as the research of environmental consultants and birdwatchers, were relevant in the advancement of ornithological knowledge in the state. Much of the institutional museums harbor specimens collected in Mato Grosso do Sul, which highlights are the Museum of Comparative Zoology (Cambridge, USA), the American Museum of Natural History (New York), the Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago) and the National Museum of Natural History (Washington). In Brazil the main ornithological collections that keep material from Mato Grosso do Sul are the Museu de Zoologia (USP, São Paulo), the Museu Nacional (Rio de Janeiro) and the collection of Departmento de Zoologia at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (DZUFMG, Minas Gerais).

KEYWORDS
Pantanal; Cerrado; conservation status; biodiversity; Biota-MS Program