Bird feared extinct seen again in Brazil
Cherry-throated Tanager has been seen for the first time in almost a year, postponing fears that the Critically Endangered Brazilian species had slipped to extinction.
A group of five individuals was seen and photographed on 3 June 2020 at its only known site, Águia Branca Private Reserve in the Brazillian state of Espírito Santo.
Cherry-throated Tanager is one of the world's rarest birds, with the five seen this month one of the highest counts for several years (Ciro Albano / BirdLife International).
Prior to this, the previous sighting had involved just two birds in November 2019, with two also seen in January of that year. Indeed, June's sighting of five birds is one of the highest counts made for a number of years (eBird data, for example, reveals a maximum count of just three over the past decade).
Despite the encouraging news of Cherry-throated Tanager's continued existence, the reality is that its future outlook remains bleak. Although its final known site has been protected since 2017, this area covers just 17km2 and remains a small island in the midst of a heavily deforested region – some 85% of Brazil's Atlantic Forest has been felled over the last few hundred years.
Because of this, the region supports some of the most endangered birds in the world. As well as the tanager, species such as Alagoas Antwren and Stresemann's Bristlefront also face the imminent threat of extinction. A single individual of the latter species was seen in December 2018 after months of unsuccessful searching.
Cherry-throated Tanager's population is optimistically estimated at 30-200 individuals by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and the reality is that the number of extant individuals may sit somewhat lower than that. Indeed, a lack of sightings is not for the lack of trying – the species is regularly looked for, and the overall paucity of sightings across a relatively small area likely means that very few individuals remain.
As well as being both staggeringly rare and eye-catchingly beautiful, Cherry-throated Tanager has a fascinating history behind it discovery. For many decades it was known only from a single shot specimen in 1870, before its dramatic rediscovery in the 1990s. However, the bird feared extinct for so long now teeters on the very edge of being lost again.
