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Alagoas

Tropical Parula Parula pitiayumi © Tomas Sigrist http://www.avisbrasilis.com.br

Alagoas is a state in the North East region of Brazil and is one of the smaller Brazilian states, located on the south Atlantic coast, centered on about 9 degrees south latitude. The name comes from a profusion of tidal lagoons dotting the coastline of the state. The state was originally a part of Pernambuco, but was separated from Pernambuco in 1817 as a reprisal against a revolutionary movement centered there. Interestingly enough, the eventual declaration of the Brazilian republic in 1889 was made by Deodoro da Fonseca, an Alagoan, who then became the first president of the new republic. The second president, Floriano Peixoto, was also from Alagoas. While nowadays Alagoas is a major producer of sugar and alcohol, it was originally almost entirely covered by the Atlantic Rain Forest. The remnants of this forest are where today can be found such rarities as the Seven-colored Tanager Tangara fastuosa, which is endemic to the state.

The nature preserve of Murici, located near the capital of Maceió, is one of the most important preservation projects in the country and is being sponsored by several important domestic and international conservation groups.

Below are some of its top attractions and websites to the reserves and many places to stay where birding is an option. We welcome a proper introduction to this page from someone who knows the area well.

top sites

Fazenda Bananeiras

To get to the IBAMA reserve, Fazenda Bananeiras, take a dirt road to the right off the BR104 (signposted Fazenda Serra Nova); 700m north of the entrance to Murici. The way is complicated with many tracks to the right and left. Keep to the main road. At a T junction with another main dirt road, turn left. Ask for Estreito and then Bananeiras. There is a small dam on the left at Bananeiras. The reserve is up the hill after the hamlet, forking left near the top. There is a chain (unlocked when we were there and no guard) at the entrance, 16.4km from the asphalt. There is another bit of good forest, slightly lower, beside the telecom. tower on the left of the BR101, 16km north of the junction with the BR104.

contributor

Max Bedacht
bedachtm@gmail.com

Jeremy Minns
(São Paulo)
jeremyminns@uol.com.br

useful reading

Books, CDs, DVDs etc.

See the main Brazil page for guides etc. covering the whole country...

museums

Universidade Federal de Alagoas

http://www.ufal.br/ufal/noticia.jsp?id=104

reserves

Murici - Chapada de Borborena and Serra das Guaribas

http://nature.org/wherewework/southamerica/brazil/files/murici.pdf
The American Bird Conservancy describes Murici as probably the most important place for bird conservation in the Western Hemisphere due to its extraordinary density of unique birds, including six endangered and five critically-endangered bird species...

Murici Conservation Project

The Murici reserve is a 3,000 hectare patch of remnant Atlantic Forest in the north-east Brazil state of Alagoas. Brazil`s Atlantic Forests have been reduced to less than 5% of their former extent, and nowhere is the damage more severe than in the area surrounding Murici. Although called a reserve, the area is privately owned and is still being cleared at an accelerated rate for sugar cane and pastureland. Despite only having 3,000 hectares of forest, Murici is home to two bird species that occur nowhere else on earth, the Alagoas Foliage-Gleaner and the Alagoas Ant-Wren...

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!