Natural history and conservation of Alagoas Antwren, Myrmotherula snowi

The Alagoas Antwren, Myrmotherula snowi, is an endemic passeriform, critically endangered, currently restricted to ESEC Murici, in the state of Alagoas. Aspects about the natural history of the species are still scarce, even though such information is of extreme importance for its conservation. The objective of this work is to estimate the size, structure and distribution of the individuals of the species population in ESEC Murici, to calculate the home range of the individuals and to verify the presence of M. snowi in mixed flocks. The ESEC Murici has an approximate area of 6,166 ha, characterized by two well defined seasons, rainy winter and dry summer with altitude varying from 530 to 630m. The data collection was done from August 2016 to June 2017. The population was counted by searches with playback in different points (200 m apart each other) in existing trails. The estimation of the size of the home range was calculated by the minimum convex polygon method. To verify the presence of M. snowi in mixed flocks the richness of the species that vocalized in her home range was characterized. Thirty-seven individuals were registered, of which 25 were adults (14 males, 11 females), six were juveniles (five males, one female), and six were not seen. The mean home range, which was still not stable, is 1.28 ha for the three pairs analyzed. A total of 46 species were recorded within the territory of M. snowi, which was not observed within mixed flocks.