Turdidae, Rafinesque, 1815

Somenzari, Marina, Amaral, Priscilla Prudente do, Cueto, Víctor R., Guaraldo, André de Camargo, Jahn, Alex E., Lima, Diego Mendes, Lima, Pedro Cerqueira, Lugarini, Camile, Machado, Caio Graco, Martinez, Jaime, Nascimento, João Luiz Xavier do, Pacheco, José Fernando, Paludo, Danielle, Prestes, Nêmora Pauletti, Serafini, Patrícia Pereira, Silveira, Luís Fábio, Sousa, Antônio Emanuel Barreto Alves de, Sousa, Nathália Alves de, Souza, Manuella Andrade de, Telino-Júnior, Wallace Rodrigues & Whitney, Bret Myers, 2018, An overview of migratory birds in Brazil, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 58, pp. 1-66 : 20-21

Turdidae

Catharus fuscescens (MGT) : breeds in the USA and Canada and migrates in late August and early September to South America, where it overwinters between September and April. Literature and geolocation data suggest that many individuals depart from southeastern USA in the fall and fly over 1,500 km across the Caribbean Sea to northern South America,where they restore their energy reserves in coastal stopover grounds. Between the Caribbean coast and wintering grounds located 3,000 km to the south, there are many areas with suitable habitat in the Amazon Basin. They probably stop for multiple days during this route and can do so as many as two times ( Bayly et al., 2012). This species’ wintering grounds include the Amazon, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest from the Southeast region of Brazil ( Collar, 2005; Heckscher et al., 2011), but the south-central and southeastern regions of Brazil (Cerrado areas) were identified as its main wintering areas (Remsen Jr., 2001). Photographic and museum records confirm its presence in Brazil between October and April (WikiAves, 2016; MZUSP; MPEG). The return north from the wintering grounds is probably through the eastern Amazon Basin ( Stotz et al., 1992). The highly seasonal occurrence pattern in RO (September to November) and afterwards in Manaus/AM (February to April) suggests that the species moves regularly in the Amazon. Recent geolocation data suggests that the species settles in non-breeding areas in South America – most of them west of the Central Brazil Shield – and then migrates to a second region in lowland Amazonia and on the Guiana Shield before returning north, probably induced by flood cycles in the southern Amazon Basin. Thus, this species has two wintering sites in the Amazon, perhaps following the local increase on food abundance associated with river levels in the Amazon Basin ( Heckscher et al., 2011).

Catharus minimus (MGT) : departs from breeding areas (Siberia, Alaska and Canada) in mid-August and reaches northern South America in September-October, where it overwinters.The return migration starts in April-May and this species reaches its breeding areas in late May/early June.Its migration flights cover an average of 300 km and individuals rest for one or more nights in between flights ( Collar & Christie, 2013). It is a rare migrant in Manaus/ AM with a similar number of records during the period between October and December and March-April, but it seems that it does not winter in the Manaus region, and its wintering grounds are practically unknown ( Stotz et al., 1992). Museum records are from AC in November, AM in February and March (MPEG) and PA in November and December ( Silva, 2011b; Valente, 2011; MPEG).

Catharus swainsoni (MGT) : breeds in North America and overwinters southwards as far as Argentina and northwestern Brazil ( Collar, 2005) between November and March, where there are records for AM in November, February and March ( Sick, 1997), MT in December (MZUSP 89116), and for AC in the period of October to March (WikiAves, 2016; MPEG). There are also records for the southeastern and southern regions of Brazil, namely for RJ in November ( Scott & Brooke, 1985), SP in February (MZUSP 64231),SC in January and June,and RS in January, as well as records without dates for RO ( Olmos et al., 2011).

Turdus flavipes (MGT) : occurs in Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil ( Collar et al., 2016). It migrates altitudinally occupying higher regions during spring and summer and foothills during winter ( Antas, 1987; Joseph, 1996; Alves, 2007). Populations from the mountains of RJ and ES fly to lower elevations in the austral winter, enlarging their coastal populations ( Sick, 1997). In Intervales State Park in southeastern SP, there are records for a lowland region of the Atlantic Forest (70-350 m) only during winter between May and August ( Aleixo & Galetti, 1997), but in northeastern SP there is a record of a nesting event at 60 m asl in October (Oliveira Jr. et al., 2014). At Ilha da Queimada Grande, it is one of the most abundant species during austral winter ( Marques et al., 2012), as well as at Ilha do Cardoso, where it is stated as a partial migrant recorded mainly between April and October ( Castro et al., 2012). Photographic records suggest this species’ presence throughout the year in ES, RJ, SP, PR and SC, but it is restricted to the period between September and April in RS (WikiAves, 2016), where it breeds ( Belton, 1985; Maurício et al., 2013).In BA, it also seems to be present all year round, though there are no records in March, May and June. Records of breeding activity are centered in the period between September and January, and they are from elevations both higher and lower than 600 m in WikiAves (at 2 and 741 m in SP and at 10 and 906 m in PR). SNA data suggests that this species is present in SP all year round, both at an elevation of 3 and 750 m (SNA, 2016), which does not fully either support or refute the hypothesis of altitudinal migration. However, it is widely accepted that the species migrates altitudinally in the Serra do Mar, therefore a project aiming specifically to elucidate its migratory pattern is being conducted (A.C. Guaraldo, pers. obs.).