Mata do Passarinho Reserve


The Mata do Passarinho Reserve is an Atlantic Forest nature reserve in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Bahia. The reserve is the last known area to contain Stresemann's bristlefront , a bird which is endemic to Brazil and listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

History

The reserve was created in 2007 by Fundação Biodiversitas with the support of the American Bird Conservancy. In 2016 an additional was added to bring the total area of the reserve to. The new area contains primary forest as well as secondary forest; areas that have not been grazed by cattle for over a decade.

Geography

The reserve contains one of the last remnants of the Atlantic forest in northern Minas Gerais and southern Bahia and is surrounded by farmland. As of 2016 only 8% of the forest remains which originally extended along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the north to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south, and inland as far as Paraguay and the Misiones Province of Argentina..

Wildlife

Many endangered birds are found in the reserve and it is the only area to house Stresemann's bristlefront with fifteen or fewer individuals known to exist in the wild. Bahia tyrannulet, Banded cotinga, Brown-backed parrotlet, Hook-billed hermit and Red-browed parrot are some of the other endangered birds in the reserve. Mammals include the Maned three-toed sloth and Yellow-breasted Capuchin.