Santo Amaro, Santa Catarina, Brazil April 11-13, 2025 Callyn Yorke
INTRODUCTION
Roberto Botelho, my bird guide in São Francisco de Paula, kindly provided transportation to Santo Amaro da Imperatriz, Santa Catarina. There were no other convenient options. Starting at SF de Paula, I would have had to take a series of public busses or hire a private taxi. Roberto was enthusiastic about the trip. He had never been to Santo Amaro and thought it might be a worthwhile, if quite brief, visit. I agreed to Roberto’s very reasonable transport fee and we were on our way the following morning after breakfast.
It was an all-day drive (0845 -1600 hrs.), including a lunch break at a highway truck stop. We weren’t exactly sure of the location of Hotel Imperador in Santo Amaro. Our GPS signal was intermittent and I had only a fragmentary map memory for guidance. Taking the Santo Amoro highway exit, we continued through town and onto a narrow road into the hills. It was actually one of those, ‘can’t miss it’ hotels in plain view on a lightly traveled, dead-end street.
Two guests were sitting on the front steps of the hotel with their luggage. They were apparently the only recent tenants. The hotel lobby was deserted. A clerk was in a dimly lit side office. He greeted us with a smile and took my passport to the copy machine. My reservation was affirmed and I was assigned a room on the second floor. Roberto helped me with my bags, we I shook hands and said our farewells. He drove directly home to SF de Paula, texting me upon arrival late that night. I had fallen asleep hours earlier.
For three nights I would be at the aging but distinguished, Hotel Imperador,1320 Rua Princesa Leopoldina, Santo Amaro da Imperatriz. Afterwards, my royal butt would be in an economy class seat on a flight from Florianópolis to Rio. Due to an updated schedule for my return to California, this would be the shortest time visiting in any of the seven Brazilan states. Santo Amaro, I would happily discover, was another fine birding location in Brazil.
Looking over the AVIBASE bird checklist for the State of Santa Catarina (850 species; 2 endemics), it was clear that Santo Amaro had possibilities. The small town featured marginal South Atlantic Rainforest and a mixture of modified habitats. The Mello brothers in Rio had shown me a great many bird species in such places. Although the birding was uncertain here, my brief visit in Santo Amaro would likely provide an opportunity to review the commoner birds of the region.
Roberto advised me that there were no professional bird guides available in Santa Amaro. I expected it would be another one of my independent birding adventures in Brazil. That should be gratifying, since I had encountered most of the common Atlantic Forest birds elsewhere in Brazil. Naturally, I anticipated some surprises.
Fernando, the bilingual hotel clerk who had registered my arrival, learned of my birding interests from a brief chat with Roberto. He suggested where I might go for a walk. Fernando simply remarked, in perfectly clear English,” There are many birds around here.” He was spot on about that.
After I was settled into the hotel room, there was only about an hour of daylight remaining. I spent the time gazing out the opened window, overlooking an adjacent homestead and forested hillside. That limited view from the window was alive with an astonishing variety birds. By sunset, I had recognized eighteen bird species, plus several species of uncertain specific identity. Those birds could have been new for my Brazil trip list. It appeared that, quite by chance, I had selected an excellent base for field operations. In retrospect, I had stayed at exclusive rainforest lodges with half as many birds as the number I could see from a second-floor window at Hotel Imperador. This place was exceptional.
The hotel breakfast buffet (included with the standard room rate) was also remarkable – one of the better ones I had experienced in Brazil. It offered a good seasonal fruit selection, varied pastries and freshly brewed coffee, all of primo quality. Well fed and caffeinated, I was soon on the street, finding birds. As Fernando had indicated, the immediate vicinity of the hotel had some of the best birding in the area.
In a neighboring garden tree, a pair of chachalacas was vocalizing – Scaled Chachalaca. It was a new species for my Brazil trip list and an endemic lifer. Several Azure Jays flew over. I had seen this attractive bird at Roberto’s place in SF de Paula but not in Rio, at the northern limit of its range. Resource agencies listed this regional endemic as ‘Near Threatened.’ A well camouflaged flock of Plain Parakeet, another endemic lifer, was harvesting fruits in an ornamental tree. I must have struck the mother lode of endemics in Santa Catarina. At the end of a busy field day (April 12, 2025), covering a total of about four kilometers on foot, I had tallied thirty-five bird species. It was an encouraging start and I was sure that there were more birds awaiting discovery.
The following morning, Palm Sunday, I birded the same area, again with intermittent light rain. My day-list by lunchtime was forty-three species, including a dozen additional species for my Santo Amaro bird list. The Hotel Imperador neighborhood was definitely a hotspot. It was becoming clear and a little regrettable, that my stay in Santo Amaro would be too brief for a comprehensive bird list. I reckoned I had seen perhaps only about one-third of the bird species present in the area. It had been a tantalizing introduction to the local avifauna.
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ANNOTATED BIRD LIST – Santo Amaro, Santa Catarina April 11-13, 2025 Callyn Yorke
KEY
Behavior and Distribution: greg. = gregarious; voc. = vocalizations (calls and/or song) msf = mixed species flock; agl = above ground level (m).
Abundance: Numbers for each species account represent actual counts (1- 20 individuals) or estimates (> 20 individuals);
Species Acronyms: The first four letters of English common names, e.g. Golden-crowned Warbler = GCWA.
Systematics and Taxonomy: An amalgam of AVIBASE Bird Checklist for Santa Catarina; IOC, AOS and Birds of the World, Cornell University 2025. Country and Regional Endemics are given in bold face type.
BIRDS
GALLIFORMES: Cracidae
- Scaled Chachalaca Ortalis squamata 4 greg. voc. pairs on horizontal tree limbs in gardens.
COLUMBIFORMES: Columbidae
- Picazuro Pigeon Patagioenas picazuro 5 greg. pairs often seen in flight.
- Ruddy Ground Dove Columbina talpacoti 15 on roadways, ruderal fields.
- Picui Ground Dove Columbina picui 2 mid-level perch in tree.
CAPRIMULGIFORMES: Apodidae
- Sick’s Swift Chaetura meridionalis 6 greg. flying @ 50-100m agl,
- Gray-rumped Swift Chaetura cineriventris 1 flying low over garden.
CAPRIMULGIFORMES: Trochilidae
- Scale-throated Hermit Phaethornis eurynome 1 foraging on ornamental garden flowers.
- Glittering-bellied Emerald Chlorostilbon lucidus 1 hovering above ornamental garden shrubs.
CUCULIFORMES: Cuculidae
- Guira Cuckoo Guira guira 6 greg. in ruderal, vacant lots with isolated tree perches (photo).
GRUIFORMES: Rallidae
- Slaty-breasted Wood Rail Aramides saracura 2 on lawn in forest edge garden.
PELECANIFORMES: Ardeidae
- Western Cattle-Egret Bubulcus ibis 1 flew to a wet field.
PELECANIFORMES: Threskiornithidae
- Buff-necked Ibis Theristicus caudatus 2 a pare gathering carrying nest twigs to hotel roof top.
- Bare-faced Ibis Phimosus infuscatus 8 greg. foraging on roadside and adjacent field of wet grass.
CHARADRIIFORMES: Charadriidae
- Southern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis 4 greg. voc. in fields of wet grass.
ACCIPITRIFORMES: Cathartidae
- Black Vulture Coragyps atratus 5 loosely greg. circling 100-150 m agl over open area and forested hillside.
- Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura 1 soaring 30-50m over forested hillside.
ACCIPITRIFORMES: Accipitridae
- Roadside Hawk Rupornis magnirostris 1 perched in a garden tree.
STRIGIFORMES: Strigidae
- Tropical Screech Owl Megascops choliba 1 in subcanopy of broadleaved tree overhanging a dense stand of bamboo.
TROGONIFORMES: Trogonidae
- Southern (Red-bellied) Surucua Trogon Trogon surrucura surrucura 2 (m,f) active in garden trees and perched on adjacent utility line (photo).
PICIFORMES: Ramphastidae
- Red-breasted Toucan Ramphastos discolorus 1 in garden cercropia tree.
PSITTACIFORMES: Psittacidae
- Maroon- bellied Parakeet Pyrrhura frontalis 10 greg. in flight over secondary forest.
- Plain Parakeet Brotogeris tirica 12 greg. in garden fruiting tree (photo).
PASSERIFORMES: Pipromorphidae
- Mottled-cheeked Tyrannulet Phylloscartes ventralis 1 active in roadside tree subcanopy.
PASSERIFORMES: Tyrannidae
- Yellow-bellied Elaenia Elaenia flavogaster 2 in trees at edges of fields and gardens.
- Small-billed Elaenia Elaenia parvirostris 1 in subcanopy of garden trees.
- Boat-billed Flycatcher Megarynchus pitangua 2 in garden trees and trees bordering clearings (photo).
- Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus 5 individuals and pairs on utility wires an limbs of garden trees and at edges of fields and open areas.
- Social Flycatcher Myiozetetes similis 2 greg. in low shrubs of garden stream behind the hotel (photo).
- Cattle Tyrant Machetornis rixosa 1 in a tree over grassy field.
- Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus 3 on roadside utility wires and in garden trees.
PASSERIFORMES: Thamnophilidae
- White-shouldered Fire-eye Pyriglena leucoptera 1 (m) in dense, roadside second-growth at edge of Eucalyptus grove.
PASSERIFORMES: Furnariidae
- Rufous Hornero Furnarius rufus 6 individuals and pairs on ground throughout.
PASSERIFORMES: Corvidae
- Azure Jay Cyanocorax caeruleus 5 greg. flying between garden and forest edge trees.
PASSERIFORMES: Estrildidae
- Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild 2 (m,f) greg. in garden shrubs behind the hotel.
PASSERIFORMES: Passeridae
- House Sparrow Passer domesticus 15 on pavement and buildings; garden behind hotel.
PASSERIFORMES: Fringillidae
- Chesnut-bellied Euphonia Euphonia pectoralis 2 (m,f) active in garden trees and tall shrubs.
PASSERIFORMES: Parulidae
- Tropical Parula Setophaga pitiayumi 1 with GCWA, ig on foliage of roadside, broadleaved trees.
- Golden-crowned Warbler Basileuterus culicivorus 2 individuals with TRPA, as noted in that sp. account; active in a variety of garden trees.
PASSERIFORMES: Icteridae
- Red-rumped Cacique Cacicus haemorrhous 1 in Cercropia and other garden trees.
PASSERIFORMES: Thraupidae
- Saffron Finch Sicalis flaveola 6 (m,f., ad. imm.) highly greg. on ground and when flushed to shrubs and trees.
- Sayaca Tanager Tangara sayaca 3 often with PATA in canopy of a variety of fruiting and flowering trees.
- Azure-winged Tanager Tangara cyanoptera 1 dense shrubs and second-growth; trees at edge of hillside forest.
- Palm Tanager Tangara palmarum 5 greg. often with SATA and BLDA, in a variety of fruiting garden trees.
- Ruby-crowned Tanager Tachyphonus coronatus 2 (m,f) a pair active in second-growth; taking small fruits from shrubs.
- Blue Dacnis Dacnis cayana 2 (m,f) active in canopies of flowering and fruiting trees.
- Bananaquit Coereba flaveola 4 active at variable heights in shrubs and trees; gardens.
PASSERIFORMES: Hirundinidae
- Gray-breasted Martin Progne chalybea 50 greg. a large flock perched on the rooftop of tall building in town.
- Southern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx ruficollis 2 flying low over gardens at dusk.
- Blue and White Swallow Pygochelidon cyanoleuca 20 greg. flocks perched on utility wires; low flight over fields and gardens; possibly nesting under eaves of the hotel.
PASSERIFORMES: Troglodytidae
- Southern House Wren Troglodytes musculus 3 voc. active in gardens, roadside shrubs and small trees.
PASSERIFORMES: Turdidae
- Pale-breasted Thrush Turdus leucomelas 4 usually seen on ground and in garden shrubs, trees; second-growth.
- Rufous-bellied Thrush Turdus rufiventris 3 in subcanopy of garden trees.
- Creamy-bellied Thrush Turdus amaurochalinus 1 on edge of roof-top of adjacent homestead.
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