The use of Passeriformes in the eastern Amazonia of Brazil: culture encourages hunting and profit encourages trade

Leandro Brasil,Samantha Silva,Diva Guimarães,Brenda Braga,Pedro Baía-Júnior

doi:10.1017/s0030605320000551

Leandro Brasil, Samantha Silva + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1017/s0030605320000551

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Abstract

AbstractThis study characterized the ethnoornithological knowledge of passerine bird keepers, known locally ascriadoresorpassarinheiros, who capture, train, breed and sell wild species in the eastern Amazonia of Brazil. The data were collected from 62 bird keepers through informal, semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The family Thraupidae was the most captured group, with 23 species used, predominantly of the genusSporophila.Sporophila angolensishad the highest use value and price. Our findings suggest that conservation strategies should be a priority forSporophila maximiliani,S. angolensesandSaltator maximus. The Passeriformes are obtained by capturing them from the wild, by captive breeding or in trade. They are trapped and sold locally, in nearby municipalities, and also in more distant locations as far as the border with Suriname, French Guiana and Guyana. On the international market, sale prices can reach USD 5,400 per individual bird. Species with both significant economic value and regional cultural significance are of the greatest importance to the bird keepers. To mitigate the negative effects of this activity, we recommend implementation of environmental education programmes for bird keepers, to improve their capacity to raise awareness about wildlife, and to inform them of the legal processes for bird keeping and for breeding birds in captivity for legal trade. Long-term strategies for bird conservation should also be considered, such as the implementation of ecotourism in protected areas to encourage the practice of birdwatching.

Highlights

Birds are one of the most hunted vertebrate groups (Alves et al, ) and are threatened as a result of habitat loss and/or exploitation for various forms of use (Alves et al, a,b)
From compilation of the interview data, photographs and our observations, we identified bird species involved in the trade network, and the various forms of use, captive management techniques used, the main actors involved and their empirical knowledge, and how the trade network functions
We found that a total of species of Passeriformes, in five families, were bred and sold (Table )

Summary

Introduction

Birds are one of the most hunted vertebrate groups (Alves et al, ) and are threatened as a result of habitat loss and/or exploitation for various forms of use (Alves et al, a,b). The annual global commercial exploitation of wild birds for pets has been estimated to be worth EUR million (van Uhm, ). The last national report about trafficking of wild fauna estimated that – million live birds are trafficked annually (Renctas, ), threatening some species (Alves et al, ). Passeriformes are hunted in Brazil by traffickers and passarinheiros (who train and raise songbirds; Fernandes-Ferreira et al, ; Oliveira et al, ). There is a large commercial bird trafficking network in the north-east that is having a marked impact on the conservation of songbirds (Oliveira et al, )

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