Proposal (207) to South American Classification Committee

Move Falco tinnunculus from Hypothetical List to Main List

Effect on South American CL: This transfers a species from our Hypothetical List to the Main List.

Background: The Hypothetical List currently reads as follows:

"Sight record from French Guiana (Tostain et al. 1992)."

New record from Bencke et al. (2005): An immature of this species was observed repeatedly on the main islet of the archipelago* (Belmonte) between 19-21 January, when several photos were taken (figure 2). The bird was most often seen resting on bare rocks near the lighthouse, where frequently attacked and chased away by the noddies Anous stolidus and A. minutus. On 22 January, the kestrel was found dead and being pecked at by nesting pairs of the Brown Booby. It was partially plucked and its corpse showed signs of severe injury, so we suspect it was killed shortly before by the boobies or earlier by the noddies. The specimen, in poor condition, was deposited in the ornithological collection of the Museu de Ciências Naturais in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul [Brazil] (MCN 2744). 

The bird taken in the São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago, besides representing the first record for the Brazilian territory, is the first specimen for South America and only the third for the New World. The only other documented record in South America is of a 1st-winter female photographed at Trinidad and Tobago in December 2003 (SCBA 2003a, b).

Besides the specimen, there is a picture on original paper of Bencke et al. 2005 Available at http://www.cbro.org.br/CBRO/pdf/arara131.pdf 

Two additional pictures on http://www.cbro.org.br/CBRO/images/fal_tin1.JPG and http://www.cbro.org.br/CBRO/images/fal_tin2.JPG

* The Archipelago of São Pedro and São Paulo (0°55'N, 29°20'W) is a small and isolated group of rocky islets lying c.960 km northeast of the coast of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil,

Literature Cited:

Bencke, G. A., P. Ott, I. Moreno, M. Tavares, and G Caon (2005) Old World birds new to the Brazilian territory recorded in the Archipelago of São Pedro and São Paulo, equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Ararajuba 13 (1):126-129

SCBA [Southeastern Caribbean Bird Alert] (2003a) Southeastern Caribbean bird alert (2003-37), 18th Dec 2003. Available at http://www.wow.net/ttfnc/SCBA/2003-37.html. Accessed on 21 February 2005.

J. F. Pacheco, March 2006

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Comments from Nores: "YES. Aunque pienso que la presencia de esta especie en el Archipiélago de San Pedro y San Pablo es un hecho casual, como existe un ejemplar coleccionado debería integrar la lista principal en la categoría de "V". El hecho de que existen 12 registros en Norteamérica y Centroamérica indican que la especie es un frecuente (o infrecuente) "vagrant" y por lo tanto no es un hecho solamente accidental."