Cone-billed Tanager

The Witwentangare ( Conothraupis mesoleuca ) is a rare songbird of the family of Tanagers. It is endemic in the Emas National Park between Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul and was 1938-2003 as missing.

Description

The Witwentangare reaches a length of 16 centimeters. Head, throat, top and tail of the male are black. The lower breast and belly are white, the flanks and under tail-coverts are black. It is characterized by the striking gray-white conical beak. The female recalls in his brownish plumage coloration to both the females of the Spiegeltangare ( Conothraupis speculigera ) as well as to the female of the ultramarine Bishop ( Cyanocompsa brissonii ). However, since only one female was discovered, further studies are necessary to obtain accurate data.

The life and habitat

About the lifestyle of Witwentangare little is known. The copy was discovered in the middle of bushy vegetation in the dry forest in the transition zone between the Amazon rainforest and the Brazilian Cerrado.

Rediscovery and status

On August 25, 1938, the French ethnologist Albert Jehan Vellard discovered ( 1901-1996 ) at Juruena in Central Brazil, a new type of bird with a powerful beak conical, the type specimen ( a male ) he sent to the Muséum national d' histoire naturelle in Paris. It was the only evidence of the Witwentangare for 66 years. Once there was in 2003 an unconfirmed sighting by the bird guide Bráulio A Carlos in the gallery forests in the National Park Emas, the Brazilian ornithologist Dante Buzzetti visited in October 2004, the putative reference and heard the song of a bird, which he could not identify. He took to the song and was able to attract a brownish bird, however, was scarcely observed. A few days later Buzzetti again took on a melodic singing, which would enable him to attract the male of the first Witwentangare and observe. Later Buzzetti confirmed that the first recorded song of the Witwentangarenweibchens was.

Since 2004 there have been six sightings at four different places in the Emas National Park. Habitat loss due to the degradation of the Cerrado and the expansion of agriculture are probably the main reason for their rarity.