Paria Redstart Myioborus pariae Scientific name definitions

The Paria Redstart is a beautiful, endangered warbler restricted entirely to the Paria Peninsula of northeastern Venezuela.  The species prefers humid cloud forest from 800-1200 meters in elevation where it hunts insects like other redstart species.  Paria Redstart is grayish above and yellow below with yellow spectacles, a rufous crown, and white outer feathers on an otherwise black tail.  Though practically the entire population of this warbler is protected within a national park, forest degradation still threatens the species, especially on Cerro Humo where it is rather common.

13 cm. Has grey head with rufous crown patch, prominent broad yellow "spectacles", with yellow supraloral stripe  meeting broad yellow eyering, separated from crown patch by blackish line; upperparts grey, faint olive tinge on mantle; tail black, extensive white in outer rectrices; throat and underparts yellow, whiter undertail-coverts; iris dark; bill and legs blackish. Sexes similar; possible that male has, on average, bolder "spectacles" and purer grey mantle, but confirmation required. Juvenile undescribed.

Paria Peninsula (NE Sucre), in NE Venezuela.

Feeds predominantly on a variety of insects. Forages mainly at low to middle levels of forest, by means of gleaning, flycatching, and hovering to pick prey from leaves. Pairs regularly join mixed-species foraging flocks.

Song  said to be bright and lively, sometimes rising in middle and almost always louder and more insistent (also rising) at end, e.g. as "wheetsa-wheetsa-wheetsa-wesee, tezsa-sweet-see-zéé-zéét"; variable, often with high and low notes mixed. Call  a rather soft, liquid "tship".

ENDANGERED. Restricted-range species: present in Caripe-Paria region EBA. Almost all records from a single mountain, Cerro Humo; a few older records farther E on peninsula. Decidedly uncommon, except on Cerro Humo where can be very locally common. Has very small range, c. 270 km² BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Myioborus pariae. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 14/07/2015. . Away from Humo, has been recorded from Cerro El Olvido (including one seen in Aug 1988 and several seen in Jan 1999), Cerro Azul (one collected in 1948), and possibly Cerro Patao. El Olvido records possibly indicative of presence of small population, separate from main one on Cerro Humo, or perhaps involve seasonal dispersal E from Humo; further fieldwork and surveys required. On Cerro Humo still easily seen on S slope and possibly fairly common, often 4–6 individuals can be observed in single day; amount of suitable habitat on Cerro Humo very small, possibly only 15 km², and species' total population may be very small. Although Paria Peninsula National Park (IUCN Cat. II; 375 km²) covers most of the species' range, there has never been any significant management or legal enforcement; there are only two or three park guards, no vehicles or boats, a minimal budget and scant political support (1 Sharpe, C.J. (2001). Situación Ambiental del Parque Nacional Península de Paria. Fundación Tierra Viva, Caracas. Close , 2 Castillo, R. and Salas, V. (2005). Estado de conservación del Parque Nacional Península de Paria. BioParques, Caracas, Venezuela. Close ). This situation is worsening. In addition, the S slope of this mountain (which may now support most of population) lies outside boundaries of the park; this area now accessible by road and increasingly subject to forest clearance for agriculture and human disturbance. Use of home-made shotguns by adult hunters and catapults by children is widespread and common. While there is much subsistence farming, based on traditional conucos (swidden plots), there is also a worrying trend towards larger-scale commercial agriculture practised by outsiders. Local deforestation has been caused by felling for infrastructure, access and narcotics cultivation. This parulid was captured for cagebird trade, certainly up to 1979, and there are reports that this trade may still be pursued. In late 1980s, construction of a gas pipeline across the Paria Peninsula was proposed by a consortium of national and international hydrocarbons companies; at present judged to be an uneconomical venture, but remains a potential future threat (1 Sharpe, C.J. (2001). Situación Ambiental del Parque Nacional Península de Paria. Fundación Tierra Viva, Caracas. Close , 2 Castillo, R. and Salas, V. (2005). Estado de conservación del Parque Nacional Península de Paria. BioParques, Caracas, Venezuela. Close ). Considered Endangered at the national level in Venezuela (3 Sharpe, C. J. (2008). Aves. In Libro Rojo de la Fauna Venezolana. Terca edición (J. P. Rodríguez and F. Rojas-Suárez, Editors). Provita and Shell Venezuela, S. A., Caracas, Venezuela. pp. 122–157. Close ). The main population on Cerro Humo should be monitored, while surveys are urgently needed on cerros Patao, Azul and El Olvido. The species' ecological requirements should also be studied. Any conservation action would benefit several other Caripe-Paria endemics (4 Collar, N. J., L. P. Gonzaga, N. Krabbe, A. Madroño, L. G. Naranjo, T. A. Parker, and D. C. Wege (1992). Threatened Birds of the Americas. The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. Part 2. Third Edition. ICBP, Cambridge, UK. Close , 5 Sharpe, C.J. (2008). Candelita de Paria Myioborus pariae Phelps & Phelps 1949. P. 154 in: . Close ).