Tropical Birding tour report - Brazil June 2006

Brazil Introtour (4-11 June)
Brazilian Cerrado (11-18 June)
Atlantic Rainforest Endemics (18-30 June)

Our June tour program to Brazil was a great success! The birds were cooperating and we had good activity almost everywhere. The groups were friendly, lively, and fun, and that always makes a huge difference. Throw in the good Brazilian food, some of those tasty caipirinhas, and World Cup fever for an even more unique experience. The most amazing thing of all was the weather. With 27 days in Brazil you can reasonably expect some rain, but we hardly had any, and what we did have didn't impact the birding at all. All but a few days were beautiful, sunny, and not too hot - a windy day at Algulhas Negras caused some grief, but overall we hardly could have been luckier.

We offered three departures that could be combined or taken separately. Some of the group chose the first two tours for a two week trip, others picked the latter two for a three week trip, while some clients had time only to do one of the trips. Due to the overlap, I have chosen to write one report for the three trips together - please forgive me if this causes inconvenience (or pain! Inevitably each group sees its own special birds, and no one apart from me did all three trips together).

Tour A: Brazil Introtour
4-11 June
Chuck and Nancy Bell, Marge and Joe Crouch, Sonia Jupp, Barry and Michelle Miller, Sally Wechsler.

This was a shorter Atlantic Rainforest tour concentrating on a fairly small area in and around the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range in the state of Rio de Janeiro. We were based most of the time in the very nice Guapiassu Bird Lodge, but had two nights at a more basic hotel in the mountains to be able to bird the high elevations more easily. Bird activity overall was excellent with many mixed-species flocks and good vocal activity.

The tour started in the Rio airport as most of our flights arrived in the middle of the morning. Once we all made it, we headed off to Guapiassu Bird Lodge in the 5000 hectare Reserva Ecologica de Guapiassu (REGUA). We had our first of many hearty Brazilian lunches then had a few hours to "get our eyes in" birding around the lodge and the nearby restored wetlands.

Over the next few days we concentrated on the lowland forest trails in the reserve. Flocks were really active, and we often could not make much progress along the trail because there was so much to see. The Waterfall Trail treated us to some real gems like Gray-hooded Attila, Scaled Antbird, Spot-backed Antshrike, Crescent-chested Puffbird, and an incredibly confiding Rufous-capped Antthrush. Higher up in the reserve we nailed some really special endemics like the incredibly cute Eared Pygmy-Tyrant and the spectacular White-bibbed Antbird. We also ran into our first Spot-billed Toucanet - really one of the most outrageous birds of the Atlantic Rainforest. The wetlands near the lodge offer some really easy birding (except for the crakes...) and we spent several afternoons here. Rufescent Tiger-Herons, wild Muscovy Ducks, various kingfishers, Tail-banded Horneros, Campo Flickers, and flocks of spectacular Brazilian Tanagers were some of the neat birds here, but there were plenty more. See the trip list at the end for all of them.

After three nights at Guapiassu, we were ready to move further afield. We rose early for the long drive over the mountain range to an anonymous dirt road that is famous for its population of Three-toed Jacamars (photo right), the rarest and most endangered member of this family on the planet. They were especially easy to see this year, and we ran into several before we even got to my "regular" site. Nearby we watched noisy and colorful Blue-winged Macaws fly in front of the hills, and a pygmy-owl imitation brought in a mob of angry birds like Hooded Tanager, Three-toed Jacamar (©Nick Athanas)

Chestnut-vented Conebill, and the lovely Gilt-edged Tanager. The rest of the day we birded our way towards the city of Nova Friburgo, stopping for various open-country specialties like Whistling Heron, Streamer-tailed Tyrant, White-eared Puffbird, and two species of monjita. We passed through the city and carried on up a narrow cobblestone road towards our hotel, but had to stop short for three Red-legged Seriemas standing on top of a hill. There was panic when the van door jammed and Nancy nearly climbed out the window before a few well-placed blows popped it open and we all got out to enjoy them - it was a family tick for many. A nice way to end the day.

Next day we made our assault on Pico Caledônia, aided by a 4WD Land Rover that took us up much higher than the van could go. The high-elevation forests here don't have much diversity, but the birds are quite different from what we saw lower down. Beautiful Diademed and Brassy-breasted Tanagers were among the first that we saw, followed by a handsome Yellow-browed Woodpecker. We then took some time to call in the endemic Rufous-tailed Antbird before carrying on up the slope. Eventually the road turns into a series of steps that go all the way to the summit of the mountain. These steps pass through scrub just above treeline that is the perfect habitat for the endemic Itatiaia Thistletail, and with a little persistence nearly everyone saw it well. Some of us carried on up to the summit for the panoramic view before heading back down. By now clouds were starting to build and we made a serious effort to see the mega-rare Gray-winged Cotinga. Unfortunately we only heard it a few times, and it never put in an appearance. In the afternoon we birded closer to the hotel where we saw, among other things, several Shear-tailed Gray-Tyrants (photo below) coming down to the ground, very odd behavior for this tree-loving flycatcher.

On our second day in the highlands, we headed for a private reserve near Macaé de Cima owned by the orchid expert David Miller. En-route we stopped to bird a patch of forest for Dusky-tailed Antbird and Gray-capped Tyrannulet when a Giant Antshrike started calling really close to the road. Luckily, this impressive beast decided to come in and check us out, and we saw a female reasonably well through gaps in the dense vegetation. Higher up in the reserve proper, we saw some of the most unforgettable birds of the trip - Bertoni's Antbird surprisingly came totally out in the open for us, and farther up we had a great view of a Hooded Berryeater (photo above), followed shortly thereafter by a singing Black-and-gold Cotinga perched in a tree right overhead. David's feeders had a variety of hummers including the endemic Brazilian Ruby and the frenetic Scale-throated Hermit - a good place to have our picnic lunch. In the afternoon we made our way back to Guapiassu, where the reserve manager, Nicholas Locke, gave a talk and slideshow about the history of the reserve and their ambitious plans for the future.

We arose early again to head for the Atlantic coast to search for the endemic and endangered Restinga Antwren, restricted to dense scrub near the coast, a habitat that is fast disappearing due to development. My old site seems to have been converted to a salt evaporation pond, but with a little exploration we found another patch, and one of the first birds we found was a very cooperative Restinga Antwren. The scrub is also good for the little endemic Hangnest Tody-Tyrant, which we found after a longer search. After looking at some terns, boobies, and frigatebirds we headed back to Guapiassu for lunch. The highlight of the afternoon was a pair of Rufous-capped Motmots that required a lot of work, scrambling up a slope after their odd hooting calls, but eventually we all got on it.

The last morning of the trip was not wasted - after some last-minute birding around the lodge, we drove to the Serra dos Órgãos National Park to look for some of the montane species we still needed. Despite the masses of hikers enjoying the beautiful Sunday morning, we stumbled onto some great mixed flocks with Sharp-billed and Pale-browed Treehunters, Brown and Azure-shouldered Tanagers, and plenty more. On the way back down we managed good views of the skulking Brazilian Antthrush and a surprisingly friendly Mouse-colored Tapaculo. A great way to end the trip, and we headed off to the airport to catch our flight to Belo Horizonte to start the next portion of the tour.

Tour B: Brazilian Cerrado
11-18 June
Chuck and Nancy Bell, Steve Gast, Sonia Jupp, Noel Mann, Sally Wechsler

This week-long tour was designed to be taken with one of the Atlantic Rainforest tours, There's no reason why it couldn't be taken along, but no one did. This was very much a tour to target rare and endemic species as overall numbers were not very high, and we were pretty successful with that, finding most of our targets.

Our Varig flight to BH was over an hour late, but fortunately there wasn't any birding planned for the afternoon anyway. We drove an hour and a half to our hotel near the Serra de Cipó mountain range and enjoyed a quiet night. Next morning we drove to the mountain pass and started walking up. The grassy slopes were interspersed with patches of dense scrub and rocky outcrops, a totally different landscape to what we had before. The birds were totally different too, and there were a lot fewer of them around. One of the first that we saw was a beautiful endemic hummer called the Hyacinth Visorbearer. They turned out to be pretty common, and later in the day we even found a female sitting on a nest. Soon after we saw the first of several Gray-backed Tachuris, small endemic flycatchers. A male Rufous-winged Antshrike was also a nice find. Higher up we paused to look at some Gray Monjitas and Yellow-rumped Marshbirds before searching in earnest for our main quarry, the rare, endemic Cipó Canastero. The wind had picked up making it difficult, and we heard and glimpsed several before finally finding a sheltered valley where we all enjoyed good views of this shy bird. After lunch we birded some scrubby habitat lower down, where the highlight was a pair of Cinereous Warbling-Finches, and the following morning, battling drizzle and wind, we finally saw our last main target, a Pale-throated Serra-Finch, before heading of to Caraça.

Caraça is a private reserve surrounding an old monastery that has now been converted to a lodge. The habitat is an odd mix of cerrado and montane Atlantic rainforest - we concentrated mainly on the forested parts as we had seen most of the cerrado birds in Cipó. The first afternoon was surprisingly active with lots of flocks, but it was the Large-tailed Antshrike that came in almost close enough to touch that really made the afternoon.

For years the monks have put out chicken for the wild Maned Wolves that roam the reserve, and even before we went for dinner we saw one lurking near the stairs of the church. Apparently the wolves' dinner took precedence, as we had hardly begun before a staff member announced that they were about to put the chicken out. We raced down to grab cameras then sat an watched the beautiful beast come in and timidly crunch up the pieces of chicken, bones and all.

Next morning was absolutely fantastic - the birds seemed to be enjoying the warm, sunny day and everywhere we looked there was something to see. A roadside flock with confiding Serra and Black-capped Antwrens, Gray-eyed Greenlets, and others kept us busy for a while, but they kept coming fast once we got inside the forest with two more Large-tailed Antshrikes, a pair of Ochre-rumped Antbird, and a White-breasted Tapaculo that tried unsuccessfully to hide from us in a crack in a tree. Undoubtedly the highlight of the morning was the flock of at least 14 Swallow-tailed Cotingas (photo right) that we found in a fruiting tree right by the trail. The afternoon was slower, but we did manage to see a Serra Tyrant-Manakin that caused some confusion, since the yellow in its crown was totally hidden.

The temperature started to plummet overnight, and by morning it was uncomfortably cold. The birds didn't like it any more than we did and they were shockingly quiet compared to the day before. We decided to head off to Canastra a little earlier than planned to have some late afternoon birding in the cerrado. This plan worked well as we stopped near a farm near dusk that was absolutely loaded with birds. The trees were sagging with hundreds of parakeets of three different species: Peach-fronted, White-eyed, and Yellow-chevroned, while a pair of Red-legged Seriemas strutted around on the other side of the road. The late afternoon light made everything look magical.

We had two full days at Canastra, one in the farmland and gallery forest at the base of the plateau, and another in the rolling grasslands on top. The Brazilian Merganser, the bird for which the park is most famous, can be found in both areas, but it is much easier on the lower side, so that's where we went first. Luck was on our side as it was almost the first bird we encountered, a lone bird swimming along a bend in the river for a few minutes until it took off and flew upstream. Later in the day we saw it again in the same spot. With "the Duck" out of the way, we were able to enjoy a constant stream of birds along the road like Toco Toucan (photo above), Plush-crested Jay, and a bunch of finches, that made us arrive at the gallery forest rather late. Despite the large number of visitors, we still had a smashing view of a Helmeted Manakin, then found a big flock with Gilt-edged Tanager, Pin-tailed Manakin, White-rimmed and White-bellied Warblers and others.

During lunch, a park worker told us that there was a merganser on a nest near the visitor's center, but politely requested that we not risk disturbing the birds since we had already seen one well. On the way back to the hotel in the afternoon we were lucky to see three Golden-capped Parakeets perched in a tree by the side of the road. This is a rare and beautiful endemic birds that I had only ever seen in flight before. If that wasn't enough, the hummer feeders we stopped to look at in Vargem Bonita really capped off the day - the Stripe-breasted Starthroats and Planalto Hermits were the favorites of the six species there.

The birding was a lot harder the next day up on the plateau, with some of the finches staying hidden in the grass and a shy Brasilia Tapaculo that few people saw, but it was still fun to be up in that totally different landscape. Both Cock-tailed (photo left) and Sharp-tailed Tyrants were easy to find and we had great views of both of these odd flycatchers, both now threatened due to the destruction of their grassland habitat. Walking around in the grass we tried to flush up some finches, and we managed to see Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch, Great Pampa-Finch, and Grassland Sparrow, but only Sonia managed to see the Black-masked Finch. We also tracked down a lone Giant Anteater, which could stay surprisingly well hidden in the tall grass.

We needed an early start to make it back to the airport on the final day - or so we thought. Our flight back to Rio was over two hours late, but at least we were able to find a terrific restaurant where we could watch Brazil beat Australia in a World Cup match. We finally made it on the plane and back to Rio in time to catch connecting flights or start the next tour. (Varig, which is on the verge of bankruptcy, cancelled many of their flights the following week, so we were actually quite fortunate to get through with only a two hour delay).

Tour C: Atlantic Rainforest Endemics
18-30 June
Bob Ambrose, Mike Austin, Peta Constable, Steve Gast, Noel Mann, John Williamson

This was a longer Atlantic Rainforest tour covering a lot more ground than the Introtour. We started at REGUA again but then headed west through the top birding sites between Rio and São Paulo.

Thanks to the late Varig flight, we didn't get to Guapiassu Bird Lodge until just about dark. We were based here for five nights, alternately birding the reserve itself and doing daytrips to various sites around the Serra dos Órgãos mountains.

At REGUA, we once again failed to reach the waterfall on the Waterfall Trail due to the number of birds we ran into along the way. We did particularly well on foliage-gleaners, getting nice scope views of a singing White-eyed Foliage-gleaner and seeing the smart Black-capped along with Ochre-breasted and Buff-fronted in the mixed-species flocks we found along the way. A Ringed Antpipit showed well, coming up to several higher perches, and we had our first endemic antbirds, with the nice-looking Star-throated Antwren and Scaled Antbird. Definitely the best find of the day was a fantastic Shrike-like Cotinga that came into playback giving its distinctive series of downslurred whistles, though the cracking male Black-cheeked Gnateater was likely a close second.

Our morning on the higher trail was a lot quieter, but certainly had its moments. Early on we saw three different parrots perched: Plain Parakeet, Maroon-bellied Parakeet, and Scaly-headed Parrot, much more satisfying than the usual quick flyovers. Nearby was an active pair of Eared Pygmy-Tyrants, and farther up the forest we found flocks with Yellow-eared Woodpecker and Thrush-like Woodcreeper as well as our first group of Spot-breasted Antvireos. Later we birded our way back down the track watching neck-breaking canopy flocks with poor views of Streak-capped and Rufous-winged Antwrens (fortunately we saw both much better later in the trip), and finally, the endemic Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant.

Walking around the wetland gave us the usual set of birds plus our only White Woodpeckers, a nice soaring Rufous-thighed Hawk, and the endemic Long-billed Wren. Sunset was beautiful from the new tower/hide overlooking the swamp, and we enjoyed some Biscutate Swifts flying low enough to see their broken collar. As dusk fell the spotlight came out an we managed to beam some Pauraques, a Common Potoo (rare here!), and a Tropical Screech-Owl, when a Giant Snipe started calling. We gave a brief chase before it became obvious that it was too far away and it was now too dark to have any chance to see it. Later that night a pair of stunning Tawny-browed Owls called in - luckily for those who were asleep, they came in again as we were getting up early on the morning we left.

Our day at Macaé de Cima was surely one of the most memorable of the trip. The weather was not promising - a chilly, windy morning with periods of drizzle. After a brief spurt of great birds like Shear-tailed Gray-Tyrant, Red-eyed Thornbird, and Gray-capped Tyrannulet, it became really difficult, with few birds singing, and the few that were simply not coming in. Frustration was running high as a big flock came blasting through so fast that we hardly identified anything in it, and a Hooded Berryeater called a few times and vanished without a trace. Things were not looking good - a lot of these birds we would have few if any chances to see again. But miraculously the weather improved and the birds came out, with a fantastic series of some of the best birds in the Atlantic Forest. A singing male Black-and-gold Cotinga started it all followed by a nice Sharpbill, then the incomparable Spot-billed Toucanet. After enjoying some hummers at the feeders, our string continued with a flock full of (among other things) Rufous-backed Antvireos and Sharp-billed Treehunters. Later a Giant Antshrike put in a brief appearance and a beautiful Bertoni's Antbird finally came out into full view. A calling Barred Forest-Falcon drew us farther down the mountain and led us straight to an amazing Hooded Berryeater, feeding on berries low to the ground, not worried about the 7 birders only 15 feet away, or even the bird-eating falcon calling nearby. To cap off the day, the fierce forest-falcon finally came in (and fortunately did not become a Barred Berryeater-eater).

Our day in Sumidouro was productive as we saw more or less the same birds as on the Introtour, though a flock of Curl-crested Jays spotted en-route were a nice surprise. The Three-toed Jacamars were easy and the Blue-winged Macaws flew over on schedule. A nice addition was Sooty Grassquit - not exactly a stunning bird, but not recorded very often either. I can't blame Mike for lingering to look at the Red-legged Seriemas before running down to get the grassquit just in time. One of the most memorable birds of the day was a pair of Streamer-tailed Tyrants (photo right) displaying together on a wire, throwing themselves up and lifting their wings while calling.

We finally left REGUA for Itatiaia, taking a detour to the coast to see Restinga Antwren and various coastal birds first. We arrived at the famed Hotel do Ypê, the highest and best hotel in the park, to find an absolute bonanza at the bird feeders. Never have I seen such a brilliant group of birds concentrated in such a small area. It was a swirl of colors with Blue-naped Chlorophonias (photo left), Green-headed Tanagers, Yellow-fronted Woodpeckers, Chestnut-bellied Euphonias all at the feeders. A short time later they were joined by a gang of the outrageous Saffron Toucanet, and we even scoped a pair of Red-breasted Toucans in a distant tree at the same time. The hummer feeders weren't bad either with the typical highland species including our first Black Jacobin of the trip. The show was so good we spent most of the afternoon there.

You can't see everything at feeders, and early next morning we headed down the road into the forest. We couldn't get very far before we were distracted by a big mixed species flock in a bamboo patch highlighted by White-bearded Antshrike and Black-billed Scythebill. Shortly thereafter a loud double-rap announced the presence of a Robust Woodpecker, and we were able to track it down, eventually seeing a pair perched nicely on the end of a dead snag. Farther down along a trail we heard a Brazilian Antthrush, and were able to get off the trail into a nice open "theater" where we called it in for an incredible show. In the afternoon we birded lower down in the park and found a few new ones like a Surucua Trogon that seemed to be glued to a wire and the unassuming Greenish Schiffornis. The various other hummer feeders in the park that used to be good now all seem to be gone or neglected, and we did not see much on them.

We needed an early start to get up to the higher elevations of the park on the Algulhas Negras road. Unfortunately, several of the party were struggling with food poisoning - this was surprising and disappointing as the Ypê has reputation of having the best restaurant in the park - but these things can happen anywhere. That wasn't a good start to the day, and the windy weather we had up there did not improve the situation. This was the hardest day of birding of the trip by an order of magnitude, with almost everything being a struggle and even normally easy species not performing or else being a lot of hard work. That's not to say there weren't any highlights - the mega-views of a male Large-tailed Antshrike topped the list, but we also had good views of Black-capped Piprites, Serra Tyrant-Manakin, Araucaria Tit-Spinetail, and Rufous-tailed Antbird. Oddly, some birds were present in extraordinarily large numbers. We some flocks of dozens of birds, all of which were Diademed Tanagers, Bay-chested Warbling-Finch, and Red-rumped Warbling-Finch.

Chestnut-bellied Euphonia (©Nick Athanas)

As we left Itatiaia a cold front came in. Luckily all the heavy rain came down while were driving between sites, and we were heading back to the lowland where the cool weather would be welcome. We had a long stop in Perequê before carrying on to Ubatuba; this is THE site for the beautiful and endangered Black-hooded Antwren, which we did manage to see, as well as numerous lowland forest specialties. We had our only good view of Buff-throated Purpletuft here as well as our only sightings of Sao Paulo Tyrannulet and the smart Squamate Antbird. Mixed flocks here were really good as we had better views of some of the birds we had seen in REGUA and our best views of Fork-tailed Tody-Tyrant.

We had three nights in our hotel on the outskirts of Ubatuba in a quiet suburb, with one of the best restaurants around, and very convenient to most of the birding sites. My favorite place here is called Folha Seca, where not only are there tracks through good forest, but a retired gentleman named Jonas has set up fruit and hummingbird feeders that are some of the best in South America. Festive Coquettes are like bees here, and some scarce endemics like Saw-billed Hermit (photo below) and Sombre Hummingbird are regular. A legion of frugivores were waiting for him to put out bananas, almost eating right from his hands - we saw both Sayaca and Azure-shouldered Tanagers squabbling for the same banana as well as plenty more like Chestnut-bellied Euphonia (photo right), Plain Parakeet, Ruby-crowned Tanager, and Green Honeycreeper. The trails themselves were absolutely brilliant with the star birds being a wonderfully vocal Slaty Bristlefront and our only Bare-throated Bellbird, an immaculate male perched up on a dead branch.

When we finally went to Fazenda Angelim, there were rather few "new" birds left to look for. The most wanted was the unique Spotted Bamboowren, easier to see here than anywhere else I know. Today it definitely wasn't easy, but we finally found one singing and were able to climb into a bamboo patch and get close enough to watch it. Other goodies here were a Pale-browed Treehunter demolishing a bromeliad and a kettle of raptors that included a rare Mantled Hawk and an impressive Black Hawk-Eagle. In the afternoon we walked down through beautiful forest on the Sertão das Cotías road, first seeing very little, then striking gold by finding a big mixed flock highlighted by the ultra-rare Salvadori's Antwren, my only lifer on any of the three tours.

It was hard to believe it was the last day, but we still had some birds left to look for. We had a few hours in the morning at the base of the Corcovado peak, and some of the group were able to see the rare and rotund Russet-winged Spadebill, but we also had our best-ever views of Black-cheeked Gnateater, a bird that could almost pass as a pitta, as well as prolonged low-level views of another Sharpbill, regurgitating fruit seeds and wiping them on branches.

On the way back to the airport we stopped at a marsh near Mogi das Cruzes, site of a newly discovered population of the very rare and local Parana Antwren, which might actually prove to be a totally new species. After first struggling to see a pair skulking in the dense mass of cattails, we tried a different spot and had a male and a female come right in and perch in the open. If that wasn't enough, we also found a singing Rufous-capped Antshrike perched in the open, and managed to call in a Red-eyed Thornbird - this time the southern race, which is likely to be split in the near future. It was a great way to end the trip, and after some group photos we made our way to the airport and said our goodbyes.

BIRD LIST
This list includes all the bird species that were recorded by at least one of us. Taxonomy and nomenclature follow:
Clements, James F. 2000. Birds of the World: A Checklist. Fifth Edition. Vista, CA: Ibis Publishing Co.
I have also included the latest updates to the list. These updates can be found online at: http://www.ibispub.com/updates.html

I have put in comments for nearly all the endemics, near endemics, rare species, and sightings of particular interest. Common and widespread species are listed without comments.

Tour codes:
The first column indicates which tours the species were recorded on:
a=Brazil Introtour, 4-11 June
b=Brazilian Cerrado, 11-18 June
c=Atlantic Rainforest Endemics, 18-30 June
If the tour code is in (parentheses), it indicates the species was only heard for that tour.

Totals:
Tour A only: 247 seen, 17 heard only
Tours A+B: 320 seen, 22 heard only
Tour B only: 207 seen, 16 heard only
Tours B+C: 398 seen, 17 heard only
Tour C only: 332 seen, 19 heard only
Tours A+B+C: 409 seen, 15 heard only

Abbreviations:
(I)=Introduced species
(E)=Species endemic to Brazil
(A)=Species which is not a country endemic, but is endemic to the Atlantic Rainforest
(nt)=Considered near-threatened by BirdLife International
(VU)=Considered vulnerable by BirdLife International
(EN)=Considered endangered by BirdLife International
(CR)=Considered critically endangered by BirdLife International

	TINAMOUS	Tinamidae
(a)(b)(c)	Brown Tinamou	Crypturellus obsoletus
(a)	Tataupa Tinamou	Crypturellus tataupa
	GREBES	Podicipedidae
ac	Least Grebe	Tachybaptus dominicus
c	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps
	GANNETS AND BOOBIES	Sulidae
ac	Brown Booby	Sula leucogaster
	CORMORANTS	Phalacrocoracidae
abc	Neotropic Cormorant	Phalacrocorax brasilianus
	FRIGATEBIRDS	Fregatidae
ac	Magnificent Frigatebird	Fregata magnificens
	HERONS, EGRETS, BITTERNS	Ardeidae
abc	Whistling Heron	Syrigma sibilatrix
ac	Capped Heron	Pilherodius pileatus
c	Cocoi Heron	Ardea cocoi
abc	Great Egret	Ardea alba
c	Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea
abc	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula
abc	Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis
abc	Striated Heron	Butorides striata
abc	Black-crowned Night-Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax
a	Rufescent Tiger-Heron	Tigrisoma lineatum
	IBIS AND SPOONBILLS	Threskiornithidae
ac	Roseate Spoonbill	Platalea ajaja
	DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS	Anatidae
c	White-faced Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna viduata
abc	Muscovy Duck	Cairina moschata
abc	Brazilian Teal	Amazonetta brasiliensis
ac	White-cheeked Pintail	Anas bahamensis
b	Brazilian Merganser (CR)	Mergus octosetaceus	Arguably the #1 target on tour B, and happily it was one of the very first birds that we saw in Canastra, a single individual swimming in the lower Rio São Fransisco. Later in the day we saw what was likely the same bird sleeping on a rock.
	NEW WORLD VULTURES	Cathartidae
abc	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus
abc	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura
abc	Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture	Cathartes burrovianus
	HAWKS, EAGLES, AND KITES	Accipitridae
c	White-tailed Kite	Elanus leucurus
c	Rufous-thighed Hawk	Accipiter erythronemius
c	Mantled Hawk (A) (nt)	Leucopternis polionota	Nice views of a single bird soaring over Faz Angelim.
abc	Savanna Hawk	Buteogallus meridionalis
b	Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle	Geranoaetus melanoleucus
abc	Roadside Hawk	Buteo magnirostris
abc	White-tailed Hawk	Buteo albicaudatus
c	Black Hawk-Eagle	Spizaetus tyrannus
	FALCONS AND CARACARAS	Falconidae
abc	Southern Caracara	Caracara plancus
abc	Yellow-headed Caracara	Milvago chimachima
ac	Laughing Falcon	Herpetotheres cachinnans
c	Barred Forest-Falcon	Micrastur ruficollis
(c)	Collared Forest-Falcon	Micrastur semitorquatus
abc	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius
ac	Aplomado Falcon	Falco femoralis
b	Bat Falcon	Falco rufigularis
	GUANS, CURASSOWS, ETC.	Cracidae
bc	Dusky-legged Guan	Penelope obscura
	NEW WORLD QUAIL	Odontophoridae
c	Spot-winged Wood-Quail (A)	Odontophorus capueira	We unexpectedly bumped into small covey while walking down a road at Itatiaia. Only a few of the party were able to see it.
	LIMPKIN	Aramidae
(c)	Limpkin	Aramus guarauna
	RAILS, GALLINULES, & COOTS	Rallidae
(a)(c)	Russet-crowned Crake	Anurolimnas viridis
(a)(b)(c)	Rufous-sided Crake	Laterallus melanophaius
c	Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail (A)	Aramides saracura	The pair living around the Hotel do Ypê has become ridiculously tame, seen every morning running around with the horde of guans.
(b)	Uniform Crake	Amaurolimnas concolor
(a)(c)	Ash-throated Crake	Porzana albicollis
(a)b(c)	Blackish Rail	Pardirallus nigricans
ac	Purple Gallinule	Porphyrio martinica
abc	Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus
	SERIEMAS	Cariamidae
abc	Red-legged Seriema	Cariama cristata	Seen by all this month! Not only did we find them around Canastra, where they are easy, we also found them in Sumidouro and Nova Friburgo.
	JACANAS	Jacanidae
abc	Wattled Jacana	Jacana jacana
	PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS	Charadriidae
abc	Southern Lapwing	Vanellus chilensis
ac	Collared Plover	Charadrius collaris
	SANDPIPERS	Scolopacidae
(a)(c)	Giant Snipe	Gallinago undulata	Heard displaying at night over the wetland at REGUA, the only place we ever record them in this area.
ac	Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca
	GULLS	Laridae
ac	Kelp Gull	Larus dominicanus
	TERNS	Sternidae
c	Sandwich Tern	Sterna sandvicensis acuflavidus
ac	Sandwich (Cayenne) Tern	Sterna sandvicensis eurygnatha
ac	Royal Tern	Sterna maxima
	PIGEONS AND DOVES	Columbidae
abc	Rock Pigeon (I)	Columba livia
abc	Picazuro Pigeon	Patagioenas picazuro	Now better known as PIC-a-ZUR-o PI-geon. If you were not on tour C, this comment will make no sense to you. It's better that way.
b	Pale-vented Pigeon	Patagioenas cayennensis
a(c)	Plumbeous Pigeon	Patagioenas plumbea
b	Eared Dove	Zenaida auriculata
abc	Ruddy Ground-Dove	Columbina talpacoti
b	Scaled Dove	Columbina squammata
abc	White-tipped Dove	Leptotila verreauxi
c	Gray-fronted Dove	Leptotila rufaxilla
	PARROTS	Psittacidae
ac	Blue-winged Macaw (nt)	Primolius maracana	Seen on both visits to Sumidouro in exactly the same spot. Both views were flyovers, but on tour A they were quite close and in front of the hill, so quite nice.
b(c)	White-eyed Parakeet	Aratinga leucophthalmus
b	Golden-capped Parakeet (E) (nt)	Aratinga auricapilla	One of my favorite sightings on tour B, where we had three perched beautifully in a tree right by the side of the road, totally oblivious to us, or even to the local 4WD club that came roaring by at one point…
b	Peach-fronted Parakeet	Aratinga aurea
(a)c	Maroon-bellied Parakeet (A)	Pyrrhura frontalis	It was admittedly one of the most egregious dips on tour A, but then parrots can do that to you. They were everywhere on tour C.
abc	Blue-winged Parrotlet	Forpus xanthopterygius
ac	Plain Parakeet (E)	Brotogeris tirica	We saw this Brazilian endemic well in many Atlantic Rainforest sites. There were staggering numbers in Perequê, and they even come to Jonas's feeders at Folha Seca.
b	Yellow-chevroned Parakeet	Brotogeris chiriri
c	Pileated Parrot (A)	Pionopsitta pileata	Poor flight views in Itatiaia, Perequê, and Ubatuba were all we could managed this month.
abc	Scaly-headed Parrot	Pionus maximiliani	A surprisingly widespread parrot seen in both lowlands and highlands, and both dry and humid forest.
c	Orange-winged Parrot	Amazona amazonica	Surprisingly scarce in this area, we only saw them once on the second trip to Praia Seca.
	CUCKOOS	Cuculidae
abc	Squirrel Cuckoo	Piaya cayana
abc	Smooth-billed Ani	Crotophaga ani
abc	Guira Cuckoo	Guira guira
(c)	Striped Cuckoo	Tapera naevia
	BARN-OWLS	Tytonidae
c	Barn Owl	Tyto alba
	OWLS	Strigidae
(a)bc	Tropical Screech-Owl	Megascops choliba
c	Tawny-browed Owl (A)	Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana	Though absent from tour A, the resident pair at Guapiassu Bird Lodge came around twice for us on C tour, giving everyone close, fantastic views.
(a)bc	Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl	Glaucidium brasilianum
abc	Burrowing Owl	Athene cunicularia
	POTOOS	Nyctibiidae
c	Common Potoo	Nyctibius griseus	One scoped in the spotlight near the wetland at REGUA was a surprise - this is a scarce bird in the Atlantic Forest.
	NIGHTJARS	Caprimulgidae
ac	Pauraque	Nyctidromus albicollis
	SWIFTS	Apodidae
b	Great Dusky Swift	Cypseloides senex	Hard to find at Canastra this year. We finally had to settle for distant scope views of a big flock.
abc	White-collared Swift	Streptoprocne zonaris
c	Biscutate Swift	Streptoprocne biscutata	After having a difficult time finding them, they seemed to turn up everywhere on the last tour, including some right over the beach at Praia Seca.
c	Gray-rumped Swift	Chaetura cinereiventris
	HUMMINGBIRDS	Trochilidae
ac	Saw-billed Hermit (E) (nt)	Ramphodon naevius	My favorite hermit in the world, seen well on both Atlantic Rainforest tours.
ac	Rufous-breasted Hermit	Glaucis hirsuta
ac	Scale-throated Hermit (A)	Phaethornis eurynome	Plenty of them at the highland hummer feeders, and occasionally seen in the forest.
ab	Planalto Hermit	Phaethornis pretrei
c	Dusky-throated Hermit (E)	Phaethornis squalidus	Scarce in these areas, we had several very views at Itatiaia and few people got on it.
(a)c	Reddish Hermit	Phaethornis ruber
c	Sombre Hummingbird (E)	Campylopterus cirrochloris	A well-named endemic, seen best at the feeders in Folha Seca.
abc	Swallow-tailed Hummingbird	Eupetomena macrourus
bc	Black Jacobin (A)	Florisuga fuscus	Sporadic in Rio state where we missed it, but we had decent views at Caraça and great views at the feeders at Hotel do Ypê.
b	White-vented Violet-ear	Colibri serrirostris
ac	Plovercrest (A)	Stephanoxis lalandi	This beautiful Atlantic Rainforest Endemic is always a favorite. We had nice views at Pico Caledônia, Macaé de Cima, and the Algulhas Negras road.
c	Frilled Coquette (E)	Lophornis magnificus	The feeders they used to visit in Itatiaia are now gone or poorly maintained. However, we managed to luck into two cracking males on the Tres Picos trail; unfortunately two of he party were in the bushes at the time…
c	Festive Coquette	Lophornis chalybeus	They were like bees at Jonas's feeders, and we even managed to find a "wild" one on the trail.
abc	Glittering-bellied Emerald	Chlorostilbon aureoventris
b	Fork-tailed Woodnymph	Thalurania furcata
abc	Violet-capped Woodnymph (A)	Thalurania glaucopis	Loads of them everywhere in forested areas.
ac	White-chinned Sapphire	Hylocharis cyanus
abc	White-throated Hummingbird (A)	Leucochloris albicollis	Common in the higher elevations everywhere in the Atlantic Forest.
c	Versicolored Emerald	Agyrtria versicolor
abc	Sapphire-spangled Emerald	Polyerata lactea
ac	Glittering-throated Emerald	Polyerata fimbriata
ac	Brazilian Ruby (E)	Clytolaema rubricauda	A big, bold endemic seen at most feeders, and encountered occasionaly in the forest.
b	Hyacinth Visorbearer (E) (nt)	Augastes scutatus	Lots of them in the Serra do Cipó, including a surprising find of a female sitting on a nest.
b	Stripe-breasted Starthroat (E)	Heliomaster squamosus	We saw a few of this striking endemic on the road to the lower part of Canastra and at the feeders in Vargem Bonita.
b	Amethyst Woodstar	Calliphlox amethystina	Scarce this year, seen only at Caraça and Canastra.
	TROGONS AND QUETZALS	Trogonidae
c	White-tailed Trogon	Trogon viridis
c	Black-throated Trogon	Trogon rufus	Seen only by me at REGUA, heard by others.
abc	Surucua Trogon (A)	Trogon surrucura aurantius	The yellow-bellied race was seen at REGUA, Caraça, and Itatiaia.
c	Surucua Trogon (A)	Trogon surrucura surrucura	One red-bellied bird was seen in Itatiaia. Some authorities have considered these two races as distinct species, but they are currently lumped, since in some areas intermediate orange-bellied birds can be found.
	KINGFISHERS	Alcedinidae
ac	Ringed Kingfisher	Ceryle torquatus
abc	Amazon Kingfisher	Chloroceryle amazona
ac	Green Kingfisher	Chloroceryle americana
	MOTMOTS	Momotidae
ac	Rufous-capped Motmot (A)	Baryphthengus ruficapillus	Both good sightings required some work - at REGUA we had to bushwhack up a slope, and at Folha Seca it took a very long time to respond. Eventually seen by all.
	JACAMARS	Galbulidae
ac	Three-toed Jacamar (E) (VU)	Jacamaralcyon tridactyla	Very easy to find on both trips to Sumidouro - every year there seem to be more of them, though the area still receives no formal protection.
abc	Rufous-tailed Jacamar	Galbula ruficauda
	PUFFBIRDS	Bucconidae
a(b)c	White-eared Puffbird	Nystalus chacuru
abc	Crescent-chested Puffbird (E)	Malacoptila striata	What a cool bird - we had no problems finding it this year at REGUA with three different sightings. The big surprise was the one that Steve found at Caraça at 1250m elevation - this is mainly a lowland species.
	TOUCANS	Ramphastidae
ac	Saffron Toucanet (E) (nt)	Baillonius bailloni	The fruit feeders at the Ypê regularly attracted a flock of 6-8 of these beauties, and it was one of the trip favorites. We ran into a few of them around Ubatuba as well, and two people on A tour had a flyover at Macaé de Cima.
ac	Spot-billed Toucanet (A)	Selenidera maculirostris	It's hard to decide which of the two toucanets is more outrageous… This one we saw very well on both trips to Macaé de Cima, with one more sighting at REGUA.
ac	Channel-billed Toucan	Ramphastos vitellinus pintoi	Seen best at Perequê, the race in eastern Brazil is the most colorful.
c	Red-breasted Toucan (A)	Ramphastos dicolorus	Scoped right from the balcony of the Hotel do Ypê!
b	Toco Toucan	Ramphastos toco	That bill seems to give off light… The "big one" was easy to see around Canastra.
	WOODPECKERS	Picidae
abc	White-barred Piculet	Picumnus cirratus
abc	White Woodpecker	Melanerpes candidus
c	Yellow-fronted Woodpecker (A)	Melanerpes flavifrons	A fantastically colored woodpecker - easily seen at the fruit feeders at the Ypê, but also regularly encountered around Ubatuba and Perequê.
b	Little Woodpecker	Veniliornis passerinus
c	White-spotted Woodpecker	Veniliornis spilogaster
ac	Yellow-eared Woodpecker (E)	Veniliornis maculifrons	A surprising number were found this year in both lowland and montane forests.
ac	Yellow-throated Woodpecker	Piculus flavigula erythropis	Seen well in lowland Atlantic Forest on both A and C. The eastern Brazil race actually has a red throat.
abc	Yellow-browed Woodpecker (A) (nt)	Piculus aurulentus	Another nice Atlantic Rainforest Endemic; we found it at most highland sites.
b	Green-barred Woodpecker	Colaptes melanochloros
abc	Campo Flicker	Colaptes campestris
ac	Blond-crested Woodpecker	Celeus flavescens	The jaw-dropping eye-level view of this unbelievable beast we had at Perequê was surely a trip highlight. Unfortunately it was seen only poorly on trip A.
b(c)	Lineated Woodpecker	Dryocopus lineatus
c	Robust Woodpecker (A)	Campephilus robustus	A nice pair found without much difficulty this year not far from the Ypê.
	OVENBIRDS	Furnariidae
abc	Tail-banded Hornero (E)	Furnarius figulus	A Brazilian endemic that has been spreading southward recently. We saw them in REGUA, Sumidouro, and Caraça.
abc	Rufous Hornero	Furnarius rufus
c	Araucaria Tit-Spinetail (A) (nt)	Leptasthenura setaria	A nice pair right by the side of the Algulhas Negras road, lower than I have seen them in the past.
b	Sooty-fronted Spinetail	Synallaxis frontalis	Eventually one came out in full view near the park entrance in upper Canastra.
b	Pale-breasted Spinetail	Synallaxis albescens
abc	Chicli (Spix's) Spinetail	Synallaxis spixi
a(b)c	Rufous-capped Spinetail (A)	Synallaxis ruficapilla	One of the nicest of the genus. We recorded it in many areas, but only a few times would it come out for all to see.
abc	Pallid Spinetail (E)	Cranioleuca pallida	A Brazilian endemic, but widespread in montane Atlantic rainforest, moving with most mixed canopy flocks.
abc	Yellow-chinned Spinetail	Certhiaxis cinnamomea
a	Itatiaia Thistletail (E)	Oreophylax moreirae	We found three on the stairs up to Pico Caledônia on trip A, but it was a big miss on tour C, where we did not even hear one on the usually reliable Algulhas Negras road. The wind didn't help.
b	Cipo Canastero (E) (VU)	Asthenes luizae	As usual this was a hard bird to track down. The high winds made us concentrate our search in sheltered valleys, and finally, as we were just about giving up for the morning, we had a really nice views of a single bird scurrying down a slope in front of us.
abc	Common Thornbird	Phacellodomus rufifrons
ac	Red-eyed (Orange-eyed) Thornbird (E)	Phacellodomus e. erythrophthalmus
c	Red-eyed Thornbird (E)	Phacellodomus e. ferrugineigula	A nice bonus in the same marsh as the Parana Antwren. These two races are likely to be split soon.
ac	Firewood-gatherer	Anumbius annumbi	Both times we visited Sumidouro, a family group of three birds came straight in to playback and perched very close to us, looking around for the intruder.
c	Plain Xenops	Xenops minutus
abc	Streaked Xenops	Xenops rutilans
ac	Sharp-billed Treehunter (A)	Heliobletus contaminatus	Seen well following mixed flocks in several highland sites.
ac	White-browed Foliage-gleaner (A) (nt)	Anabacerthia amaurotis	Only two pairs were seen, one at Macaé de Cima and another at Itatiaia.
a(b)c	Buff-browed Foliage-gleaner	Syndactyla rufosuperciliata
ac	Pale-browed Treehunter (E)	Cichlocolaptes leucophrus	Wonderful views of several birds on Tour A's last morning at Serra dos Órgãos. We sweated a bit for it on C, but finally had a brilliant scope view at Faz Angelim.
abc	Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner	Philydor rufus
ac	Ochre-breasted Foliage-gleaner (A)	Philydor lichtensteini	Rather scarce to begin with, with only a couple of sightings at REGUA. Near the end of the month we found them regularly at most sites.
ac	Black-capped Foliage-gleaner	Philydor atricapillus	Seen with flocks at REGUA, then once near Ubatuba. Usually we see more of this striking foliage-gleaner.
ac	White-collared Foliage-gleaner (E)	Anabazenops fuscus	Good views on tour A at Macaé de Cima, then at Itatiaia on tour C. Restricted to dense bamboo stands.
(a)(b)c	White-eyed Foliage-gleaner (A)	Automolus leucophthalmus	Oddly missed on tour A, we saw good numbers of them in all the lowland areas of tour C.
(c)	Tawny-throated Leaftosser	Sclerurus mexicanus
abc	Rufous-breasted Leaftosser	Sclerurus scansor	Never easy to see, though I think all of C and some of A had a decent view.
(a)b(c)	Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper	Lochmias nematura	What a pain. They didn't want to show themselves this year, though some of the group did have a good view behind the restaurant at Cipó.
	WOODCREEPERS	Dendrocolaptidae
c	Thrush-like Woodcreeper (A)	Dendrocincla turdina	Singles in flocks at REGUA and Corcovado.
abc	Olivaceous Woodcreeper	Sittasomus griseicapillus sylviellus	The most common woodcreeper throughout the region. This species will likely be split up in coming years thanks to significant vocal and plumage variation throughout its huge range.
ac	White-throated Woodcreeper (A)	Xiphocolaptes albicollis	Great views of this big-billed beauty on both A and C tours - it's always scarce and finding one is largely a matter of luck.
c	Planalto Woodcreeper	Dendrocolaptes platyrostris	We found a few with mixed flocks in Itatiaia.
abc	Lesser Woodcreeper	Xiphorhynchus fuscus	Also very common, seen in all forest sites.
b	Narrow-billed Woodcreeper	Lepidocolaptes angustirostris	A pair on the way up to the plateau at Canastra.
bc	Scaled Woodcreeper (E)	Lepidocolaptes squamatus	A rather local woodcreeper. They were easy to find in Caraça, though we also saw two in Itatiaia this year. Note that HBW mentioned Scalloped Woodcreeper (L. falcinellus) as occurring in Itatiaia, but I believe this is incorrect.
c	Black-billed Scythebill (A)	Campylorhamphus falcularius	We had a pair in that huge mixed flock just down from the Ypê.
	TYPICAL ANTBIRDS	Thamnophilidae
ac	Spot-backed Antshrike (A)	Hypoedaleus guttatus	With patience we had a decent view at REGUA on tour A. On tour C we had repeated amazing views in virtually every flock we encountered at Perequê and Ubatuba. Never have I seen so many so well. This bird can easily be missed due to it habit of remaining high in the canopy.
ac	Giant Antshrike	Batara cinerea	Group A managed a nice view of a female, but group C had only a very brief view of a male perched in the open, and those not looking in the right spot missed it. Both records were at Macaé de Cima, we only heard it distantly in Itatiaia.
c	Tufted Antshrike (A)	Mackenziaena severa	A beautiful view of a male near the Ypê, followed by a great view of the female later on at Faz Angelim.
(a)bc	Large-tailed Antshrike (A)	Mackenziaena leachii	This is one I usually have trouble with, but this year was different. At Caraça we had smashing close views of two males and a female, and it was the undoubted highlight of that tough day on the Algulhas Negras road when another male put on an even better show.
c	White-bearded Antshrike (A) (VU)	Biatas nigropectus	Usually I have to work for this one - this year we easily found a male in the huge flock just down the road from the Ypê.
ac	Chestnut-backed Antshrike	Thamnophilus palliatus
ac	Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike (E)	Thamnophilus ambiguus	Good sightings on both visits to Sumidouro. We also had a single female at REGUA on tour A.
abc	Variable Antshrike	Thamnophilus caerulescens
c	Rufous-winged Antshrike	Thamnophilus torquatus	A male seen nicely at Cipó
ac	Rufous-capped Antshrike	Thamnophilus r. ruficapillus	Easy to miss here, we were lucky to have good views on both A (Pico Caledônia) and C (Mogi das Cruzes).
ac	Spot-breasted Antvireo (A) (nt)	Dysithamnus stictothorax	A few good sightings at REGUA and Itatiaia. There were amazing numbers of them in the sites around Ubatuba.
abc	Plain Antvireo	Dysithamnus mentalis
ac	Rufous-backed Antvireo (E)	Dysithamnus xanthopterus	Seen well on both visits to Macaé de Cima. Also seen at Órgaos and heard at Algulhas Negras.
ac	Star-throated Antwren (E)	Myrmotherula gularis	A nice Brazilian endemic, seen best at REGUA and Itatiaia.
a	White-flanked Antwren	Myrmotherula axillaris luctuosa	Usually easy to find at REGUA, we managed to miss it on tour C. This is a likely future split.
c	Salvadori's Antwren (VU)	Myrmotherula minor	YES!!! This ultra-rare antwren made that slow afternoon at Sertao das Cotías well worth it. It was my only lifer on any of the three tours.
ac	Unicolored Antwren (E) (nt)	Myrmotherula unicolor	Numerous sightings in lowland forest.
b	Black-capped Antwren	Herpsilochmus atricapillus	We found a nice pair in a flock at Caraça.
ac	Rufous-winged Antwren	Herpsilochmus rufimarginatus
c	Parana (Marsh) Antwren (E) (EN)	Formicivora acutirostris(?)	A slight itinerary change on the last day of the trip made it possible to go for this special bird. We saw several males and a female in a stand of cattails west of the town of Mogi das Cruzes. I am including it in the list as Parana Antwren, which is closely resembles in both plumage and vocalizations, but the discoverer of this isolated population believes it is a distinct species and intends to describe it as one.
b	Serra Antwren (E)	Formicivora serrana	A beautiful endemic antwren on interior mountain ranges of se Brazil. We had lovely close views of a male at Caraça.
ac	Restinga Antwren (E) (EN)	Formicivora littoralis	We saw it easily in the coastal scrub on both visits to Praia Seca.
c	Black-hooded Antwren (E) (EN)	Formicivora erythronotos	Just as beautiful as the Serra Antwren, but even more localized. It was not easy to see this year, but in the end everyone had at least a decent look at the usual spot in Perequê.
c	Ferruginous Antbird (E)	Drymophila ferruginea	Seemingly everywhere there was a stalk of bamboo in Itatiaia, Perequê, and Ubatuba. One we never got tired of seeing…
ac	Bertoni's Antbird (A)	Drymophila rubricollis	Replaces the previous at higher elevations. Seen best at Macaé de Cima, with one brief sighting at Itatiaia.
ac	Rufous-tailed Antbird (E) (nt)	Drymophila genei	Occurs higher than the other Drymophilas. Good views at Pico Caledônia and Algulhas Negras.
(a)bc	Ochre-rumped Antbird (E) (nt)	Drymophila ochropyga	He was more difficult - we saw it really well at Caraça and reasonably well at Macaé de Cima on tour C, but we only heard it there on tour A.
ac	Dusky-tailed Antbird (A)	Drymophila malura	Seen on both A and C at my stakeout at Macaé de Cima, though he didn't make it easy.
ac	Scaled Antbird (E)	Drymophila squamata	Numerous good views in the various lowland forest sites.
ac	Streak-capped Antwren (A)	Terenura maculata	It was Peta's bogey bird for a while, but we all got it well in the end. A tiny bird that often stays high up in the canopy, making it hard to see well.
abc	White-shouldered Fire-eye (A)	Pyriglena leucoptera	Mostly unresponsive, an not seen well on trip A, but we eventually had great views on the other two tours.
a(b)(c)	White-bibbed Antbird (E)	Myrmeciza loricata	Seen nicely on the first tour, after which it became really difficult and was only heard.
c	Squamate Antbird (E)	Myrmeciza squamosa	Frustrating at first, but persistence paid off in the end with a really nice view of a male at Perequê.
	ANTTHRUSHES & ANTPITTAS	Formicariidae
ac	Rufous-capped Antthrush	Formicarius colma	Great views for all on tour A at REGUA, but seen only by about half of C group.
ac	Brazilian Antthrush	Chamaeza ruficauda	We saw it nicely on tour A at Órgaos, but the views we had at Itatiaia on tour C were out-of-this-world as it came in closely in a surprisingly open area and strutted around for several minutes.
(b)c	Such's Antthrush (E)	Chamaeza meruloides	Harder to see than the previous, we eventually got it on the second morning at Itatiaia.
	GNATEATERS	Conopophagidae
abc	Rufous Gnateater	Conopophaga lineata	While it was glimpsed by a few people on the first two tours, we finally had great views of one on tour C shortly after seeing the Such's Antthrush.
ac	Black-cheeked Gnateater (E)	Conopophaga melanops	Decent views at Regua of this striking endemic, but the best came on the very last morning of the trip at Corcovado with repeated full-on mega views of a male.
	TAPACULOS	Rhinocryptidae
(b)	Collared Crescent-chest	Melanopareia torquata	As usual, only heard distantly at Canastra.
c	Spotted Bamboowren (A) (nt)	Psilorhamphus guttatus	Another one that took some work, but we finally managed to see it well after bushwhacking into a bamboo patch at Faz Angelim.
c	Slaty Bristlefront (E) (nt)	Merulaxis ater	It's song is absolutely unforgettable, and its not bad to look at either. Great views next to the trail at Folha Seca.
a(c)	Mouse-colored Tapaculo (A)	Scytalopus speluncae	We found a nice responsive bird on tour A at Serra dos Órgaos. They were not resonsive (or even very vocal) on tour C.
b	Brasilia Tapaculo (E) (nt)	Scytalopus novacapitalis	Those few who were looking in the right hole when it came in saw it well. Sadly it never came back. Seen at the "usual" spot in upper Canastra.
b	White-breasted Tapaculo (E) (nt)	Scytalopus indigoticus	A highlight of Caraça was seeing him repeatedly wedge himself into a crack in a tree to sing, seemingly unaware of the 7 birders just a few feet away. We could only guess that it was doing that to make its song harder to localize.
	COTINGAS	Cotingidae
c	Sharpbill	Oxyruncus cristatus	Possibly Noel's favorite bird of the trip, if jumping for joy was any sign. We had several nice views (each better than the last) at Macaé de Cima and around Ubatuba.
c	Shrike-like Cotinga (VU)	Laniisoma e. elegans	One of the specialty birds of REGUA. We finally managed to lure one in about a mile along the trail to the waterfall, and it was seen well by nearly everyone. Unfortunately we did not even hear it on tour A.
b	Swallow-tailed Cotinga (nt)	Phibalura f. flavirostris	During the winter, Caraça always seems to be the most reliable spot for this super bird. We had a flock of about 14 in a fruiting tree - the same exact tree I saw them in almost exactly two years before.
ac	Black-and-gold Cotinga (E) (nt)	Tijuca atra	Both males and females were seen well on both visits to Macaé de Cima. Didn't even hear it at Algulhas Negras, which says something about the kind of day we had to deal with up there…
(a)	Gray-winged Cotinga (E) (VU)	Tijuca condita	Our main target at Pico Caledônia, and we very nearly connected. It was singing fairly closely at one point, then it went silent and our hopes were dashed…
ac	Hooded Berryeater (E) (nt)	Carpornis cucullatus	Another striking endemic. Seen nicely at Macaé de Cima on both trips, also at Serra dos Órgaos on tour A.
c	Buff-throated Purpletuft (E) (nt)	Iodopleura pipra	We connected with one at Perequê and had nice close views on a snag. Heard at various sites around Ubatuba and seen badly in Faz Angelim.
c	Bare-throated Bellbird (A) (VU)	Procnias nudicollis	A troublesome bird to see in winter. We heard only a few calls at Itatiaia and Perequê until Noel spotted a gorgeous male perched on a snag at Folha Seca.
	MANAKINS	Pipridae
abc	White-bearded Manakin	Manacus manacus
abc	Blue (Swallow-tailed) Manakin (A)	Chiroxiphia caudata	Beautiful, noisy, and really really common throughout the Atlantic Forest.
b	Helmeted Manakin	Antilophia galeata	Prolonged staggering views of a male in the gallery forest at Canastra. We saw a female there too.
abc	Pin-tailed Manakin (E)	Ilicura militaris	Good views of males on tours A and B, but oddly only females were seen on C.
abc	Serra Tyrant-Manakin (E)	Neopelma chrysolophum	Not much to look at… A few of us on tour A saw it, but everyone on the other tours saw it well, first at Caraça then at Algulhas Negras.
c	Black-capped Piprites (E) (VU)	Piprites pileatus	Like almost everything else on Algulhas Negras it was hard work, but everyone did eventually get it.
(b)c	Greenish Schiffornis (A)	Schiffornis virescens	It wasn't until Itatiaia that we actually saw one of these slippery birds.
	TYRANT FLYCATCHERS	Tyrannidae
abc	Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet	Camptostoma obsoletum
c	Yellow Tyrannulet	Capsiempis flaveola
bc	Gray Elaenia	Myiopagis caniceps
abc	Yellow-bellied Elaenia	Elaenia flavogaster
b	Plain-crested Elaenia	Elaenia cristata	Several in the cerrado at Cipó, and another one at Canastra.
abc	Highland Elaenia	Elaenia obscura	Absolutely outrageous numbers of them on tour B at Caraça and Canastra. Otherwise seen only at Macaé de Cima and Sumidouro.
b	Sooty Tyrannulet	Serpophaga nigricans
a	White-crested Tyrannulet	Serpophaga subcristata
ac	Ochre-bellied Flycatcher	Mionectes oleagineus
abc	Gray-hooded Flycatcher (A)	Mionectes rufiventris	So cute… Seen on all tours, though a bit scarce on tour C.
abc	Sepia-capped Flycatcher	Leptopogon amaurocephalus
c	São Paulo Tyrannulet (A) (nt)	Phylloscartes paulista	A nice surprise at Perequê, where we saw a pair well in a huge mixed flock. This is the farthest east I have ever seen this scarce bird.
ac	Serra do Mar Tyrannulet (E) (nt)	Phylloscartes difficilis	Good views for most at Pico Caledônia (tour A). Tragically it was only seen by two of us on Algulhas Negras, where it is usually easy.
a(b)c	Mottle-cheeked Tyrannulet	Phylloscartes ventralis	Good views at a few highland sites.
c	Bay-ringed Tyrannulet (A) (nt)	Phylloscartes sylviolus	Another surprise was finding a pair, perhaps even three of these in Folha Seca. Our birds showed only a very narrow red eyering, visible only at very close range. They generally don't show the big red patch that is illustrated in most books.
abc	Planalto Tyrannulet	Phyllomyias fasciatus
abc	Rough-legged Tyrannulet	Phyllomyias b. burmeisteri
abc	Greenish Tyrannulet (A)	Phyllomyias virescens	Seen at Macaé de Cima and Caraça.
ac	Gray-capped Tyrannulet (E) (nt)	Phyllomyias griseocapilla	Numerous good views at Macaé de Cima and Itatiaia, and one rather surprising sighting near sea level at Faz Angelim.
b	Suiriri Flycatcher	Suiriri suiriri affinis
b	Sharp-tailed Tyrant (VU)	Culicivora caudacuta	We encountered several pairs of this beautiful flycatcher in the grasslands of upper Canastra.
b	Gray-backed Tachuri (E) (nt)	Polystictus superciliaris	Nicely seen at both Cipó and Canastra. A very localized endemic.
ac	Eared Pygmy-Tyrant (A)	Myiornis auricularis	Undeniably cute, we saw them really well at REGUA, Itatiaia, and Perequê.
abc	Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher	Poecilotriccus plumbeiceps
abc	Drab-breasted Bamboo-Tyrant (A)	Hemitriccus diops	It's nicer than it sounds… We saw him everywhere in montane bamboo thickets.
(c)	Brown-breasted Bamboo-Tyrant (E)	Hemitriccus obsoletus
ac	Eye-ringed Tody-Tyrant (E) (nt)	Hemitriccus orbitatus	They put up a fight, but we saw them with both groups at REGUA. The best sighting came later on when Steve & Mike found one at Folha Seca.
a(b)c	Hangnest Tody-Tyrant (E)	Hemitriccus nidipendulus	Very local but can occur anywhere that there is dense scrub. We ended up seeing them in Praia Seca and Sumidouro, and heard one at Caraça.
b	Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant	Hemitriccus margaritaceiventer	Steve had one in Cipó.
c	Fork-tailed Tody-Tyrant (E) (VU)	Hemitriccus furcatus	They seem to get more common every year. Seen or heard many times in Itatiaia, Perequê, and most of the Ubatuba sites.
ac	Yellow-lored Tody-Flycatcher (E)	Todirostrum poliocephalum	A widespread endemic, seen in many places.
b	Common Tody-Flycatcher	Todirostrum cinereum
c	Southern Antpipit	Corythopis delalandi	Good response from a bird on the waterfall trail at REGUA, seen well by most. Also heard at Sumidouro.
c	Large-headed Flatbill	Ramphotrigon m. megacephala	Seen well at Itatiaia and Faz Angelim.
abc	Yellow-olive Flycatcher	Tolmomyias s. sulphurescens	Common in any forested area, usually with flocks.
ac	White-throated Spadebill	Platyrinchus mystaceus
c	Russet-winged Spadebill (A) (VU)	Platyrinchus leucoryphus	The main target at Corcovado on the last morning. It took about 40 minutes to respond, and then only some of the group saw it.
abc	Bran-colored Flycatcher	Myiophobus fasciatus
ac	Yellow-rumped Flycatcher (E)	Myiobius mastacalis	A split from Whiskered Flycatcher (M. barbatus). We had it in almost all lowland forest sites.
bc	Black-tailed Flycatcher	Myiobius atricaudus ridgwayi	We saw it in Caraça and Itatiaia. Replaces the previous at higher elevations.
abc	Cliff Flycatcher	Hirundinea ferruginea bellicosa	This race is sometimes split as Swallow Flycatcher.
ac	Euler's Flycatcher	Lathrotriccus e. euleri
a(b)c	Tropical Pewee	Contopus cinereus
abc	Gray Monjita	Xolmis cinerea	The pair in the burned area at Cipó was the best, but we also saw it on both visits to Sumidouro.
abc	White-rumped Monjita	Xolmis velata
ac	Blue-billed Black-Tyrant	Knipolegus cyanirostris	A scattering of sightings from Caledônia, REGUA, and Algulhas Negras.
abc	Velvety Black-Tyrant (E)	Knipolegus nigerrimus	Common in the highland areas, but mainly at edges and clearings of humid forest.
bc	Crested Black-Tyrant	Knipolegus lophotes	The black-tyrant of drier open areas, we saw many on tour B and one at Sumidouro on C.
abc	Masked Water-Tyrant	Fluvicola n. nengeta
ac	White-headed Marsh-Tyrant	Arundinicola leucocephala
b	Cock-tailed Tyrant (VU)	Alectrurus tricolor	Good numbers of males and females seen in the grasslands of Upper Canastra.
abc	Streamer-tailed Tyrant	Gubernetes yetapa	We had it on all three tours, but the pair displaying on a wire in Sumidouro on trip C was something really special.
abc	Yellow-browed Tyrant	Satrapa icterophrys
abc	Long-tailed Tyrant	Colonia colonus
abc	Cattle Tyrant	Machetornis rixosus
ac	Shear-tailed Gray Tyrant (A)	Muscipipra vetula	Our best views came on the slopes of Pico Caledônia on tour A and at Macaé de Cima on tour C.
ac	Gray-hooded Attila (E)	Attila rufus	What was likely the same bird was seen well on the waterfall trail at REGUA on both A & C tours.
bc	Sirystes	Sirystes s. sibilator
(c)	Dusky-capped Flycatcher	Myiarchus tuberculifer
abc	Short-crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus ferox
a	Brown-crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus tyrannulus
abc	Great Kiskadee	Pitangus sulphuratus
a(b)c	Boat-billed Flycatcher	Megarynchus pitangua
b	Rusty-margined Flycatcher	Myiozetetes cayanensis
abc	Social Flycatcher	Myiozetetes similis
abc	Tropical Kingbird	Tyrannus melancholicus
abc	Chestnut-crowned Becard	Pachyramphus castaneus
c	Green-backed Becard	Pachyramphus viridis
ac	Black-capped Becard	Pachyramphus marginatus
ac	Crested Becard	Pachyramphus validus	Rather easy on tour A with several sightings around REGUA. The only record from tour C was a bird only Mike saw well at Sertao das Cotías.
	SWALLOWS	Hirundinidae
abc	Brown-chested Martin	Progne tapera
ac	Gray-breasted Martin	Progne chalybea
b	White-winged Swallow	Tachycineta albiventer
ab	White-rumped Swallow	Tachycineta leucorrhoa	Common in inland areas, and we saw plenty on tour B. Much more local near the coast, but group A saw one at Praia Seca while I was fetching the van.
abc	Blue-and-white Swallow	Notiochelidon cyanoleuca
ac	White-thighed Swallow	Neochelidon tibialis
b	Tawny-headed Swallow	Alopochelidon fucata	Great views at Canastra, both perched and in flight, at the Brasilia Tapaculo spot.
abc	Southern Rough-winged Swallow	Stelgidopteryx ruficollis
	WAGTAILS AND PIPITS	Motacillidae
ac	Yellowish Pipit	Anthus lutescens
	WRENS	Troglodytidae
ac	Black-capped Donacobius	Donacobius atricapilla	The small wetland at REGUA is the only place I ever get it on these tours…
a(c)	Moustached Wren	Thryothorus genibarbis
ac	Long-billed Wren (E)	Thryothorus longirostris	Seen nicely at REGUA and Sumidouro.
abc	House Wren	Troglodytes aedon
b	Sedge (Grass) Wren	Cistothorus platensis polyglottus	We kicked up bunches of them while roaming the grasslands of upper Canastra.
	MOCKINGBIRDS & THRASHERS	Mimidae
abc	Chalk-browed Mockingbird	Mimus saturninus
	THRUSHES	Turdidae
c	Yellow-legged Thrush	Platycichla flavipes	Three weeks without seeing one, then they were pretty regular, but only males. It think they must undertake some sort of local migration.
abc	Rufous-bellied Thrush	Turdus rufiventris
bc	Pale-breasted Thrush	Turdus leucomelas
abc	Creamy-bellied Thrush	Turdus amaurochalinus
ac	White-necked Thrush	Turdus albicollis
	GNATCATCHERS	Polioptilidae
c	Long-billed Gnatwren	Ramphocaenus melanurus
	CROWS AND JAYS	Corvidae
(b)c	Curl-crested Jay	Cyanocorax cristatellus	It was a surprise miss on tour B where it is usually pretty common, but it was a bigger surprise to find a big flock on the way to Sumidouro on trip C, the first time I'd seen it there.
b	Plush-crested Jay	Cyanocorax chrysops	A small flock seen along the road to lower Canastra
b	White-naped Jay (E)	Cyanocorax cyanopogon	Sally videoed a pair of jays near the monastery at Caraça on her afternoon off that appear to be this species.
	OLD WORLD SPARROWS	Passeridae
abc	House Sparrow (I)	Passer domesticus
	WAXBILLS AND ALLIES	Estrildidae
ac	Common Waxbill (I)	Estrilda astrild
	VIREOS AND ALLIES	Vireonidae
ac	Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus chivi
ac	Rufous-crowned Greenlet (A)	Hylophilus poicilotis	Seen in most highland forest sites on tours A & C.
b	Gray-eyed Greenlet (E)	Hylophilus amaurocephalus	Replaces the previous species north of Rio state. We had such close views in Caraça we could easily see the gray eye.
c	Lemon-chested Greenlet	Hylophilus t. thoracicus	Good views of one responsive bird at Perequê.
abc	Rufous-browed Peppershrike	Cyclarhis gujanensis
	SISKINS AND ALLIES	Fringillidae
abc	Hooded Siskin	Carduelis magellanica
	WOOD WARBLERS	Parulidae
(a)bc	Tropical Parula	Parula pitiayumi
abc	Masked Yellowthroat	Geothlypis aequinoctialis velata
ac	Golden-crowned Warbler	Basileuterus culicivorus
b	White-bellied Warbler	Basileuterus hypoleucus	Replaces the previous in the interior. We saw plenty in Caraça and Canastra.
abc	White-rimmed Warbler (A)	Basileuterus leucoblepharus	A nice one with a really beautiful song. Seen in virtually all the highland fores sites.
b	Flavescent Warbler	Basileuterus flaveolus	One along a stream behind the restaurant in Cipó.
c	Neotropical River Warbler	Basileuterus rivularis	Ticked out the window of the car on the way to Perequê, but seen even better at the bridge in Corcovado.
	BANANAQUIT	Coerebidae
abc	Bananaquit	Coereba flaveola
	TANAGERS AND ALLIES	Thraupidae
ac	Chestnut-vented Conebill	Conirostrum speciosum
ac	Brown Tanager (E) (nt)	Orchesticus abeillei	An odd endemic that can look remarkably like a foliage-gleaner. Flocks turned up in various places, both in lowlands and highlands, on tours A and C.
ab	Cinnamon Tanager (E)	Schistochlamys ruficapillus	An endemic tanager that prefers open habitats, especially cerrado. We saw lots on tour B, but group A also managed to find one at Caledônia while I was chasing down an antshrike.
b	White-rumped Tanager	Cypsnagra hirundinacea	A beautiful duetting pair near the Brasilia Tapaculo spot was a real highlight.
c	Magpie Tanager	Cissopis leveriana
c	Chestnut-headed Tanager	Pyrrhocoma ruficeps	You just never know where these are going to turn up. This time it was on the way up to Macaé de Cima in a spot I had birded many times yet had never seen it there before.
b	Guira Tanager	Hemithraupis guira
abc	Rufous-headed Tanager (E)	Hemithraupis ruficapilla	The Atlantic Forest replacement of the previous sp, but they both occur together in Canastra. Seen in most forested sites.
ac	Yellow-backed Tanager	Hemithraupis flavicollis
abc	Hooded Tanager	Nemosia pileata	Easy this year; seen on all three tours, twice at Sumidouro and once at Canastra.
bc	Olive-green Tanager (E)	Orthogonys chloricterus	Massive flocks visit the feeders at the Hotel do Ypê, but we also had them in various other places, including Caraça where I hadn't seen it before.
ac	Flame-crested Tanager	Tachyphonus cristatus
abc	Ruby-crowned Tanager	Tachyphonus coronatus	A southern replacement of the more widespread White-lined Tanager. We saw them virtually everywhere, including eating corn that Jonas had left out to feed the wood-rail.
abc	Black-goggled Tanager	Trichothraupis melanops	Somehow this became known as the Google-eyed Tanager. Don't ask.
ac	Red-crowned Ant-Tanager	Habia rubica
ab	Hepatic Tanager	Piranga f. flava
ac	Brazilian Tanager	Ramphocelus bresilius	Common in lowland areas, but blindingly beautiful and even endemic.
abc	Sayaca Tanager	Thraupis sayaca
ac	Azure-shouldered Tanager (E) (nt)	Thraupis cyanoptera	A forest-based version of the more common Sayaca, it was terrific to see both species together at Jonas's feeders eating the same banana.
bc	Golden-chevroned Tanager (E)	Thraupis ornata	A shocking miss on tour A, we partly made up for it by scoping one at Caraça on tour B. We saw plenty on to C, especially at the Ypê feeders.
ac	Palm Tanager	Thraupis palmarum
ac	Diademed Tanager	Stephanophorus diadematus	At Caledônia and Macaé de Cima on tour A, but there were record numbers of them at Algulhas Negras on C.
abc	Fawn-breasted Tanager	Pipraeidea melanonota
b	Purple-throated Euphonia	Euphonia chlorotica
ac	Violaceous Euphonia	Euphonia violacea
c	Orange-bellied Euphonia	Euphonia xanthogaster
c	Chestnut-bellied Euphonia (A)	Euphonia pectoralis	Seen best at the feeders at Itatiaia and Folha Seca.
c	Blue-naped Chlorophonia	Chlorophonia cyanea	It doesn't seen right to see six of these at one time just a few feet away on the fruit feeders at the Hotel Ypê. Shouldn't a bird this beautiful be harder to see? We did see a "real" one at REGUA.
ac	Green-headed Tanager (A)	Tangara seledon	This just might be my favorite tanager - the way those colors work together is just magic. Seen well in most Atlantic Forest sites.
ac	Red-necked Tanager (A)	Tangara cyanocephala	One or two were moving with a big flock of Brassy-breasteds in the Órgaos, but most missed it here. Finally, near the end of the month, we saw plenty in Perequê and the Ubatuba sites.
abc	Brassy-breasted Tanager (E)	Tangara desmaresti	Big flocks of them at Caledônia, Macaé de Cima, Órgaos, and Canastra. Surprisingly, none were found in Itatiaia.
abc	Gilt-edged Tanager (E)	Tangara cyanoventris	Easy to see on tour B, where they were the most common Tangara. They were harder nearer the coast. We saw what could have been the same individual on both visits to Sumidouro at the very low elevation of 300m, and a few of the party saw some in Itatiaia.
abc	Burnished-buff Tanager	Tangara cayana
abc	Blue Dacnis	Dacnis cayana	We started calling them "Pink-legged Dacnis". Try as we might, we found none with black legs.
c	Green Honeycreeper	Chlorophanes spiza	Once again, the only place we found it was at Jonas's feeders. Why are they so rare in the Atlantic Forest?
bc	Swallow-Tanager	Tersina viridis
	EMBERIZINE FINCHES	Emberizidae
b	Black-masked Finch (VU)	Coryphaspiza melanotis	Sonia was the only lucky one to get it in Canastra as she stumbled into some grass that was taller than she was…
abc	(Gray) Pileated Finch	Coryphospingus pileatus
ac	Bay-chested Warbling-Finch (E)	Poospiza thoracica	We had good views on tour A at Pico Caledônia. On tour C we had a brief view at Macaé de Cima, then unheard-of numbers along the Algulhas Negras road.
c	Red-rumped Warbling-Finch	Poospiza lateralis	Maybe we had a lot of Bay-chesteds at Algulhas Negras, but it was nothing compared to the number of Red-rumps. There was flock after flock after flock of them, distracting us when we were looking for other things.
b	Cinereous Warbling-Finch (E) (VU)	Poospiza cinerea	Another bird with a rather restricted range in interior Brazil. We saw quite a few at Cipó, none elsewhere.
abc	Blue-black Grassquit	Volatinia jacarina
a	Lined Seedeater	Sporophila lineola	A male at REGUA was the first I'd ever seen there.
b	Yellow-bellied Seedeater	Sporophila nigricollis
abc	Double-collared Seedeater	Sporophila caerulescens
a	Chestnut-bellied Seed-Finch	Oryzoborus angolensis
c	Sooty Grassquit	Tiaris fuliginosa	We had two different males come into pygmy-owl playback along the Sumidouro road. A hard bird to find.
c	Uniform Finch (A)	Haplospiza unicolor	A good find on the Tres Picos trail in Itatiaia, a flock of about five came through while we were looking for a Rufous Gnateater.
abc	Saffron Finch	Sicalis flaveola
b	Stripe-tailed Yellow-Finch	Sicalis citrina	Several along the road to Casca Danta in Canastra, including one perched with its tail spread open so we could see the white.
b	Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch	Emberizoides herbicola	Plenty in Canastra.
b	Pale-throated Serra-Finch (E) (nt)	Embernagra longicauda	Endemic to a few interior mountain ranges in eastern Brazil. This was the hardest of the Cipó specialties to find - we finally found a nice singing bird on the second morning shortly before we had to leave.
b	Great Pampa-Finch	Embernagra platensis	After tracking a few birds through the grass that turned out to be Wedge-taileds, we finally chased a real one down in Canastra for a good view.
b	Grassland Sparrow	Ammodramus humeralis
abc	Rufous-collared Sparrow	Zonotrichia capensis	Mike's favorite bird of trip C.
	SALTATORS, CARDINALS, ETC.	Cardinalidae
c	Buff-throated Saltator	Saltator maximus
c	Black-throated Grosbeak (A)	Saltator fuliginosus	This normally vocal bird was virtually silent throughout the month, making him especially hard to find. We did eventually have a great view of one at Itatiaia, but even he did not sing, and just gave a few call notes.
abc	Green-winged Saltator	Saltator similis	The commonly-seen saltator of the Atlantic Forest, though not as common as it could be - large numbers are trapped for the cage bird trade.
b	Black-throated Saltator	Saltator atricollis	A handsome bird of the cerrado, we saw them frequently on tour B.
	ORIOLES AND BLACKBIRDS	Icteridae
abc	Chestnut-capped Blackbird	Agelaius ruficapillus
bc	Shiny Cowbird	Molothrus bonariensis
bc	Giant Cowbird	Molothrus oryzivorus
ac	Red-rumped Cacique	Cacicus haemorrhous
c	Golden-winged Cacique	Cacicus chrysopterus	Several on the Algulhas Negras road, plus one at the Ypê feeders.
abc	Crested Oropendola	Psarocolius decumanus
b	Yellow-rumped Marshbird	Pseudoleistes guirahuro	Small flocks found at Cipó and Canastra.
abc	Chopi Blackbird	Gnorimopsar chopi

Mammals
Maned Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus torquatus)
Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)
Masked Titi-Monkey (Callicebus personatus)
Brown Capuchin Monkey (Cebus apella)
Black Tufted-ear Marmoset (Callithrix penicillata)
Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)
Tayra (Eira barbara)
Capybara (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris)
Guianan Squirrel (Sciurus aestuans)
Brazilian Rabbit (Sylvilagus brasiliensis)


Golden-capped Parakeet in Canastra.	Hyacinth Visorbearer nesting in Cipó.


Yellow-fronted Woodpecker in Itatiaia NP.	Yellow-throated Woodpecker at Folha Seca.