Observed bird species classed as Vulnerable in IUCN Red List

NB. The classification Vulnerable (VU) is one of three sub-categories of the wider class of Threatened Species under the IUCN system, the others being Endangered (EN) and Critically Endangered (CR). A species is said to be Vulnerable "when the best available evidence indicates that it ... is ... considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild." This is based on criteria relating to population size, geographic range,  fragmentation of habitats or a quantitative analysis showing the probability of extinction in the wild is at least 10% within 100 years.

White-necked Hawk – Leucopternis lacernulatus - Gavião-pombo
Extract from Red List citation: This species qualifies as Vulnerable because it is assumed to have a small population, which is fragmented and likely to be declining as a result of continued habitat loss and direct persecution. Leucopternis lacernulata occurs in the Atlantic forest of east Brazil (Paraíba in 1949, Alagoas, central and south Bahia, east Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and extreme east Paraná and Santa Catarina). Though considered common around 1830, the paucity of recent records suggest that it is uncommon in isolated forest patches, with a small overall population. It appears largely confined to patches of primary lowland forest up to 900 m (but to 2,890 m in Minas Gerais), where it occurs in the midstorey ... It appears to specialise in invertebrate prey, feeding on those disturbed by other animals (including Eciton army ants, a human with a lawn-mower, foraging birds and monkeys). A recent study of prey revealed grasshoppers, stick insects and a gastropod Megalobulimus paranaguensis. Stomach contents of three individuals also indicate a primarily invertebrate diet, including spiders and insects, although other prey, including birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, have been reported. It is primarily at risk from habitat destruction, which is compounded by its low density and highly fragmented range. Unwarranted persecution as a predator of domestic animals remains a problem in São Paulo and Minas Gerais.

Black-headed Berryeater – Carpornis melanocephala - Sabiá-pimenta
Extract from Red List citation: This species qualifies as Vulnerable because it has a small fragmented population that is inferred to be suffering a continuing rapid decline owing to the extensive loss of its lowland forest habitat. Carpornis melanocephala is distributed in the lowlands of east Brazil, in Alagoas (Murici), Bahia , Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro (recent records from two sites), São Paulo and Paraná. Its range is now fragmented, and remaining populations are largely restricted to protected areas. The population must have declined significantly, but it remains relatively common in a few areas, notably Murici, Linhares Forest Reserve and Intervales State Park. This frugivore frequents the mid-storey of primary, lowland Atlantic forest. At Linhares, birds favour areas of dense vegetation with high liana and spiny-palm densities, on dry sandy soils away from water. On Ilha Comprida it also occurs in tall restinga ... The diet consists primarily of fruit, mainly of Myrtaceae at Intervales, with one bird observed eating a stick insect. Breeding is thought to occur in the austral summer, based on vocal activity and the gonad and moult condition of specimens. Extensive deforestation is continuing in this region and this species is now largely dependent on a few key protected areas. The harvesting of Palmito palms Euterpe edulis may also be a threat.

Bare-throated Bellbird – Procnias nudicollis  - Araponga
NB. Previously categorised as Near Threatened

Extract from Red List citation: The combination of increased rates of habitat loss and more intense trapping pressures within this species’ range in Paraguay and Brazil mean that its population is likely to have been undergoing rapid declines. For these reasons, the species has been uplisted to Vulnerable. Procnias nudicollis is known from a wide area of east Brazil (Alagoas south to Rio Grande do Sul and inland to south Mato Grosso), north-east Argentina (Misiones, with one record in Corrientes) and east Paraguay (west to Concepción). The species is considered extinct from remnant forest patches of north eastern Brazil north of the São Francisco river, where it was formerly known from the Murici area. It is locally relatively common in Brazil and Paraguay, but rare in Argentina, in the canopy and borders of Atlantic forest up to 1,000 m. The species is believed to be migratory in south-east Brazil, though its migratory patterns are poorly-known and likely to be complex...  Where migratory Procnias nudicollis probably follows a complex migration route that may be linked to fruit production, with males calling, and thus apparently acting territorially, en route.  The population has unquestionably declined owing to deforestation and heavy trapping pressure for the cage-bird trade, particularly in Brazil. Trapping pressure may be particularly heavy in southern Bahia, São Paulo and Santa Catarina and the population size is therefore difficult to assess in these areas. In north-east Paraguay deforestation was 20% between 1997 and 2001, and appears to be continuing at a similar rate. The Paraguayan population is also coming under increasing pressure from trapping (historically a localised threat), with both males and females readily available in Asunción every year. Agricultural conversion and deforestation for mining and plantation production historically threatened its habitat. Current key threats are urbanisation, industrialisation, agricultural expansion, colonisation and associated road-building.

Temminck’s seedeater – Sporophila falcirostris - Cigarra-verdadeira
Extract from Red List citation: The destruction of this species’ habitat is exacerbated by its nomadism and dependence on bamboo flowerings. The population is now likely to be small and rapidly declining, qualifying it as Vulnerable. Sporophila falcirostris is rare in the Atlantic forest of south-east Brazil, east Paraguay and north-east Argentina. In Brazil, recent records are concentrated in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with additional records from Bahia (only one recent record in 1987), Espírito Santo (1940 and undated), Minas Gerais (specimen from 1936), and Paraná (specimen from 1930). It has been considered locally common, but never as common as the sympatric Buffy-fronted Seedeater S. frontalis. Most records refer to the collection or observation of a single or a few individuals at any given locality and, to some extent, it may be genuinely rare. This nomadic bamboo specialist occurs mainly in the middle and higher strata of secondary or disturbed forest and forest borders. It has been observed in Chusquea and Guadua bamboo. Breeding probably occurs in the austral spring. The only discovered nest was found at the forest edge. The continuing clearance of Atlantic forest has extended the physical and temporal distances between bamboo flowerings and nestings, and its nomadic habits suggest that existing reserves may afford inadequate protection. It is relatively scarce in trade, but this is almost certainly a reflection of its rarity rather than a lack of demand.

Buffy-fronted Seedeater -- Sporophila frontalis - Pixoxó
Extract from Red List citation: This species is Vulnerable because the population is likely to be small and rapidly declining as a result of deforestation (compounded by its dependence on bamboo) and trapping. It can appear numerous at bamboo flowering events, but these concentrations of birds may represent a high proportion of the population. Sporophila frontalis has become very patchily distributed in south-east Brazil, with a few records in north-east Argentina and east Paraguay. In Brazil, the bulk of records are from Rio de Janeiro, with recent records in Minas Gerais and São Paulo. It is rarer in Espírito Santo (records in 1979 and 1984), Paraná (1995), Santa Catarina (1991 and 1992) and Rio Grande do Sul (no records since the 19th century). There are two records for Misiones, Argentina: Iguazú in 1978 and Obraje Esmeralda in 1993. The only record for Paraguay is a specimen collected at the end of the 19th or beginning of the 20th century. In Brazil, "hundreds" to "thousands" were noted at single sites in 1883, 1952 and 1985, and it is still periodically fairly common to common at several sites. However, it is not regularly recorded at any one site, and these large counts may represent a high proportion of the population. The population has been greatly reduced since the late 19th century, and it is now more frequently seen in cages than the wild.