Birds at Santa Bárbara Ecological Station, one of the last Cerrado remnants in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

In the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, the phytophysiognomy known as Cerrado takes less than 1% of its original cover. Thus, the establishment and management of protected areas are essential to save a significant sample of biodiversity of this environment in the region. The Santa Bárbara Ecological Station is one of the largest protected areas in São Paulo, and one of the few ones to cover a mosaic with most of the vegetation types of Cerrado. This article aims to increase the knowledge of avifauna in the reserve, showing new bird records and evaluating the association of species to their physiognomies. We carried out surveys from 2008 to 2013, which resulted in the record of 226 species, or 246 when in regard to Willis & Oniki’s works (1981, 2003). Twenty-two are regionally threatened, and five globally threatened. Despite showing lower species richness, grasslands stood out because of the number of species of conservation concern. Preventing the densification of woody vegetation and controlling the invasion of alien plants are important management actions for the conservation of the bird assemblages at Santa Bárbara reserve, one of the last open Cerrado remnants in São Paulo.