The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 123 ( 4 ): 690 - 698 , 2011 
DENSITY ESTIMATES OF THE BLACK-FRONTED PIPING GUAN IN 
THE BRAZILIAN ATLANTIC RAINFOREST 
CHRISTINE S. S. BERNARDO,' 23 PAULO RUBIM,' RAFAEL S. BUENO,' 
RODRIGO A. BEGOTTI,' FERNANDA MEIRELLES,' CAMILA I. DONATTI.' 
CAROLINA DENZIN,' CARLA E. STEFFLER,' RENATO M. MARQUES,' 
RICARDO S. BOVENDORP,' SABRINA K. GOBBO,' AND MAURO GALETTI' 
ABSTRACT.—We studied the Black-fronted Piping Guan (Pipile jacutinga)* a medium-sized cracid (1.5 kg), endemic 
of Atlantic rainforest and considered endangered. We present density estimates of Black-fronted Piping Guans derived from 
line-transect surveys (total effort = 2.246 km) across 11 protected areas (6 continuous mainland areas, 3 non-connccted 
mainland areas, and 2 inshore islands) in Sao Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. Both islands and the continuous mainland 
forests of Paranapiacaba massif hud die highest density estimates of the species. The largest continuous mainland Atlantic 
Forest (Serra do Mar massif) had the lowest density estimates and the species was absent in some regions of this mountain 
range. All non-eonnected mainland forests also had low density estimates or absence of Ihe species. Our data indicate the 
Black-fronted Piping Guan is not extremely sensitive to habitat disturbance and the major threut to its conservation is most 
likely from illegal hunting. Hie absence or low density estimates of the species in three survey sites is of special concern, 
because it is known guans are important in seed dispersal, which may have long-term consequences for forest regeneration. 
Received 3 September 2010. Accepted 5 April 2011. 
The Atlantic coastal rainforest of South Amer¬ 
ica represents ihe world’s most critically endan¬ 
gered biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al. 2000, 
Mittermeier et al. 2005) as only — 12.9% 
(194,524 km 1 2 ) of the original 1.1 million km 2 of 
forest cover remains (Tabarelli et al. 2010). Much 
of this habitat is highly fragmented and severely 
impacted by deforestation through illegal logging, 
expansion and consolidation of agricultural land- 
uses, and expansion of urban areas (Dean 1996, 
Oliveira-Filho and Fontes 20(H)). More than 80% 
of the remnant forest fragments are estimated to 
be <50 ha in size and relatively isolated (Ribciro 
et al. 2009). The protected areas network 
throughout this hotspot covers <9% of the 
remaining Atlantic rainforest habitat (Ribciro et 
al. 2009). There are concerns the few' remnant 
areas of Atlantic rainforest are not sufficiently 
extensive or of suitable ecological integrity to 
maintain viable populations of endemic large¬ 
bodied vertebrate species, including large-bodied 
birds (Marsden et al. 2005). Die plight of these 
species is exacerbated by illegal hunting which is 
1 Laboratorio dc Biologiu da Conserva^ao. Dcpartamento 
de Ecologia. Univcrsidade Estadual Paulista, CP 199 CEP 
13506-900. Rio Claro. SP. Bruzil. 
Current address: Lahorai6rio de Ecologia. Departa- 
mento de Cieneias Bioldgicas, Univcrsidade F.studual do 
Sudoeste da Bahia, campus Jequic\ Aveida Jose Morcira 
Sobnnho s/n, CEP 45206-510, Jcquie, BA. Brazil. 
Corresponding author; e-mail: 
christinesteiner@yahoo.com 
widespread, particularly close to more developed 
areas (Dean 1996. Chiarello 2000, Cullen et al. 
2000, Pinto et al. 2008). 
Local extinction of large-bodied frugivorous 
species is of special conservation concern because 
they may be fundamental in promoting long¬ 
distance dispersal of seeds of many endemic plant 
species (Thihy et al. 1992, Galetti et al. 1997. 
Holbrook and Loiselle 2009). Few quantitative 
data are available on abundance and biomass of 
large-bodied birds in Atlantic rainforest remnants, 
particularly cracids. which represent some of the 
most important game bird species throughout 
Latin America and contribute most to avian 
biomass harvested by hunters (e.g.. Silva and 
Strahl 1991, Thiollay 1994). Previous studies have 
almost exclusively focused on Amazonian cracids 
(e.g.. Silva and Strahl 1991, Begazo and Bodmer 
1998. Haugaasen and Peres 2008), whereas 
published data on the population abundance or 
density ot cracids in the Atlantic rainforest biome 
is only available for three species: Penelope 
obscura. P. supercUiaris (Cullen et al. 2000). 
and Pipile jacutinga (Galetti et al. 1997, Guix et 
al. 1997. Sanchez-Alonso et al. 2002, Rubim and 
Bernardo 2008). 
The Black-fronted Piping Guan ( P. jacutinga ) 
is a medium-sized cracid (1.5 kg), endemic to 
the Atlantic rainforest hotspot of southeastern 
and southern Brazil (Bahia to Rio Grande do 
Sul), Paraguay, and northern Argentina (Collar 
et al. 1992). The species is currently listed as 
