Amazon Alive: A Decade of Discoveries 1999-2009 - WWF

The species has been listed as ‘near threatened’, due to its moderately small
population, which is declining owing to habitat loss 62 .
Rufous Twistwing (Cnipodectes superrufus)
A further new species of parrot, Aratinga pintoi, was found in the Amazon river
basin in 2005 63 . The sulphur-breasted parakeet, as the species is commonly
known, was found only in open areas with sandy soils in Monte Alegre, on the
northern bank of the lower Amazon river, in the State of Pará, Brazil. The
species has a splendidly-coloured body, adorned with a green crown, orange
forehead, a yellow back mottled with flecks of green, a sulphur-coloured
breast, and bright blue wing tips. It was originally believed to be a juvenile of
another species or a hybrid of two species and, remarkably, scientists had
been collecting, examining and misidentifying the species since the beginning
of the 20th century. Today, Aratinga pintoi is a fairly common bird at Monte
Alegre, easily located along the main roads in groups of up to 10 individuals,
and flying over the city. However, as is usual with new species of parrots,
scientists now fear that breeders will soon begin to obtain and trade these
birds through the illegal market 64 .
Some scientists are concerned not just about the conservation of the
threatened, endangered and newly-described Amazonian avifauna, but
foremost about the “forgotten taxa” out there 65 . Many species are desperately
waiting on dedicated ornithologists and often poorly-funded South American
museum staff to dedicate their own time and finances to officially describe
the birds, while there is also a huge demand for ecological studies to better
understand and define the threat status of a large number of ‘data deficient’
species. Like a race against time, ornithological research to describe properly
this planet’s richest and most complicated avifauna is lagging behind the pace
of development in the region, and many species are already endangered 66 .
© Joseph Tobias
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