Avifauna of the region of the Volta Grande hydroelectric power plant in Southeast Brazil.

Abstract

The Volta Grande region in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais is classified as of “High Biological Importance” for the conservation of birds in the state. Despite this, the avifauna of the region has yet to be adequately sampled, as evidenced by the few papers on the region in ornithological literature. The results of an avifaunal inventory conducted between March 2013 and January 2014 in five sites located throughout the region of the Volta Grande Hydroelectric Power Plant in Southeast Brazil are presented. Point-counts, ad libitum observations and mist-nets recorded 224 species for the region, with insectivorous and omnivorous being the predominant feeding habits. Species that are “independent” of forest habitats comprised 52% of the recorded species. Three species are endemics of the Cerrado, 85 are migratory and 33 are under some degree of threat of extinction. These findings demonstrate that the region of the Volta Grande Hydroelectric Power Plant is important for bird conservation. Additional inventories, adequate management plans and public policies aimed the preserving species are needed for more effective conservation of the biodiversity of the studied region.