Occurrence And Conservation Of Touit Melanonotus (Aves, Psittacidae) In Southern Brazil

The Brown-backed Parrotlet [Touit melanonotus (Wied, 1820)] is a rare forest species restricted to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, and is included in the endangered category for species threatened of extinction. As there is a lack of knowledge about the species' natural history and occurrence, new observations can provide helpful information for parrotlet conservation. Here we reevaluate the first record for the species and present new records for the state of Parana (southern Brazil). The vocalizations previously attributed to T. melanonotus, and which were used to infer its occurrence in the state, were examined by spectrogram analysis. These were actually found to be vocalizations of the Red-capped Parrot [Pionopsita pileata (Scopoli, 1769)], representing a case of misidentification. Even so, the Brown-backed Parrotlet occurs with some regularity in the state of Parana, as shown by 12 records spread through seven localities spanning the entire Parana coast. The Brown-backed Parrotlet was recorded mostly in lowland areas, and as these forest types suffer intense pressures, conservation efforts aiming the species preservation should focus in the maintenance of these habitats.