Marybel Crespo Saucedo

An Evaluation of the Population of the Threatened Yellow-Rumped Antwren (Terenura Sharpei) in the Yungas of Bolivia (Cochabamba-Bolivia)

Parque Nacional Carrasco Chapare.

Marybel Crespo. Description biology students working with bird nets.

My team preparing the nets that we used for increased the effort of the researching work. Photo by Marybel Crespo.

A panoramic view from the top of Sarna Moko (calling too Santa Isabel), where the people is using the land for agricultural purposes. Photo by Marybel Crespo.

Town/RegionCountryCategoriesDate
Parque Nacional CarrascoBoliviaBirds, Central and Latin America, Forests25 Apr 2008

The Yellow-rumped Antwre, (Terenura sharpei) is a species considered endangered due its small population size. It has a limited range of distribution, only found in Peru and Bolivia. In Bolivia the species is found in La Paz and Cochabamba in humid montane forests of the Andes, called the Yungas. The Peru-Bolivian Yungas have a high conservation priority. This is because of the extensive and rapid logging of the region’s forests, the growth in agriculture of citrus fruits, coca, coffee and tea. These activities endangers many of the endemic bird species that are restricted to this region.

There currently exist few records of Terenura sharpei, and very little is known about its current conservation status. We do not know if the species is still found at historical sites and no known viable population is documented in Bolivia. There is a reason to believe that current protected areas, such as the Carrasco National Park in Cochabamba and the Amboró National Park in Santa Cruz hold at least small populations of Terenura sharpei. However, these protected areas are threatened by the constant invasion of settlers who cut remaining forests to establish coca plantations. Therefore, a high priority exists to initiate studies inside these protected areas to help to determine the population status and ecology of this unique and endemic species. Research on its distribution and abundance will provide the first quantitative data on its current state of conservation in Bolivia.

Additionally, this study will provide data on its ecological requirements, which will serve to start monitoring programs at specific sites where it could potentially be found as well as permitting a proactive conservation strategy. This study will be done together with the support of the administrative staff of Carrasco National Park, therefore strengthening the functions for which this protected area was originally established.

Finally, through this project we are planning to carry out workshops destinated to Carrasco park guards in bird population monitoring techniques and educational workshops in key sites to local communities.

For more information contact cochabambina2005@yahoo.com or marybel_c@hotmail.com

Project Update: April 2009

In October 2008 I did my first study trip to Santa Isabel which is predominantly high humidity tropical forest. In this trip we took biology students in order to teach them bird survey methodologies and introduce them to bird conservation work. Due to the excessive rains during this time of the year it was not possible to continue with the work in this locality, but there are very good possibilities of thinking that our species could be found in this type of forest because of the quantity of interesting and important birds that we found there.

A problem occurred during these 4 months as there was an epidemic of Dengue in this region but now this epidemic is been controlled and we will return to the field April 2009 to continue our work.

Project Update: October 2009

During the winter season (June, July and August 2009) it was hard to work in the field because of the poor vocalizations of this species outside the breeding period, so I waited until the rainy season when birds start to search for a mate. I started again in September 2009 to continue the work in Santa Isabel, though I still did not find the yellow-rumped antwren in this locality. I found that this humid montane region of cochabamba is one of the richest regions for bird biodiversity and the best place to start conservation work, so I had a meeting with the people of Sarna Moko and with their leader Marlon Villca to exchange proposals about conservation projects in this locality.

My team work is going to help these people to look for funds to supply a lodging place that they are constructing for ecoturism purposes. The following step is to continue working with these people to deliver a bird species list that I found in this place. I am working on an album of bird images and designing a poster for them since we believe that this place is very propitious for the observation of birds. I will continue the research work in this place during the following months in order to increase the work effort for searching for the yellow-rumped antwren and to help the people to finish the ecotorism lodge.

Final Report

Read about the activities undertaken and findings of this project in the final reports below.

File DownloadSize
Final Report.doc717 KB
Detailed Final Report.doc604.5 KB

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