Cipo Canastero Asthenes luizae Scientific name definitions

Described as recently as the 1980s, by the late Jacques Vielliard, the Cipo Canastero is a Brazilian endemic restricted to a handful of localities in south-central Minas Gerais, where it inhabits isolated rocky outcrops and associated dry vegetation between 1000 and 2000 m. It is mainly terrestrial, preferring the steepest and most vegetated slopes. Despite its habitat being relatively remote, and of little or no agricultural value, this canastero, which is the only species of Asthenes in Brazil, is threatened by Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) parasitism and some degree of habitat degradation. The species is considered Vulnerable under IUCN criteria for examining conservation threat status. The specific name luizae honors the wife of the first ornithologist to collect the Cipo Canastero, Frederico Lencioni Neto.

17 cm; 25·5–30·5 g. Rather short-billed canastero with medium-length tail. Has narrow whitish supercilium , dark brown or blackish-brown eyeline, rest of face grey-brown with fine blackish streaks, some narrow whitish streaks on auriculars; crown warm brown, back and rump greyish-brown; wings dull dark brown, outer five primaries with dull whitish-brown narrow edges on basal half forming pale panel, primary coverts dark fuscous; tail graduated, central rectrices tapering somewhat at tip, remainder with rounded tips, central pair dark brown, rest chestnut-rufous; chin and centre of upper throat white with fine black streaks; throat side and underparts grey, slight dusky olive wash on belly centre, deeper on rear flanks, more chestnut on undertail-coverts; in worn plumage looks duller, more evenly greyer overall, with colder and less marked brown tones; iris blackish to brown; upper mandible dark grey with black tip, lower mandible similar or with paler grey base; tarsus and toes dull pinkish or grey. Sexes alike. Juvenile undescribed.

Campo rupestre: rocky outcrops with bushy vegetation in grassland; 900–1500 m.

Song a series of usually 11 descending notes, fades towards end, lasts c. 3 seconds; contact call a high-pitched, metallic “jlip”, repeated at 2-second intervals.

Six nests found in Sept–Nov 2005 were in Vellozia nivea bushes at c. 14–30 cm above the ground; spherical or cylindrical in shape, with external part built of sticks, dry material of Barbacenia spp. and Vellozia spp., and moss; only two nests were active and both were parasitized by Molothrus bonariensis; eggs 21∙8 mm x 17∙8 mm on average (n = 3); nestlings covered with grey down, with orange skin and yellowish beak and palate (3 Gomes, H.B. and Rodrigues, M. (2010). The nest of the Cipó Canastero (Asthenes luizae), an endemic furnariid from the Espinhaço Range, southeastern Brazil. Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 122(3): 600–603. Close ). Territory estimated at 100–300 m². No further information.

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. Previously listed as Endangered. Restricted-range species: present in Central Brazilian Hills and Tablelands EBA. Discovered as recently as 1985, and not formally described until 1990. Currently known from six localities in Minas Gerais, including Serra do Cipó National Park (where found in 1997) and Pico do Itambé State Park. Fairly common in Serra do Intendente (Ribeirão do Campo waterfalls), and not uncommon at type locality (a little NE of Jaboticatubas); six individuals recorded in 1·5 km in Pico do Itambé. Total population estimated at 2500–10,000 individuals in late 1990s; thought to be declining, mainly as a result of habitat destruction and degradation. Considered to be at risk because of tiny geographical range and insular nature of habitat; grazing and burning of habitat potential threats. Possible brood parasitism by Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis), apparently a recent invader of the region, not hitherto recorded for this species but could have serious effects (other Asthenes canasteros are occasional hosts for this cowbird). On the other hand, discovery of this species in Mar 2000 at Campina do Bananal, 170 km N of other known localities and N of Jequitinhonha Valley, gives cause for optimism. Additional fieldwork in region, where much suitable habitat still exists, may reveal that it is more widespread than hitherto known, and may lead to its threat category being downgraded.