Notes on little known birds of the upper urubamba valley southern peru

-Distributional, ecological, and behavioral notes are presented for 34 species of poorly known birds from the Upper Urubamba River drainage in southern Peru. Records and data come from work by personnel of the LSU Museum of Zoology between 1974 and 1979. Received 30 July 1979, accepted 4 October 1979. LONG studied as a cradle of the Inca Civilization, the upper Urubamba River valley in the Department of Cuzco, southern Peru, is still poorly known biologically. Its avifauna has been reported upon by Sclater and Salvin (1869), Berlepsch and Stolzmann (1906), and Chapman (1921). The latter paper is a fairly comprehensive report on the bird collections secured by Edmund W. Heller for the Yale UniversityNational Geographic Society's Machu Picchu Expedition (April-November 1915), by Frank M. Chapman and George K. Cherrie (1-24 July 1916), and by Harry L. Watkins (3-25 April 1917). That paper also incorporates the records of the earlier authors who published on the collections of H. Whitely and Jean Kalinowski. Since the appearance of Chapman's 1921 work, no other paper dealing specifically with the avifauna of the region has been written. From July-September 1974 and again in June 1976, 1977, and 1978, October 1978, and August 1979, personnel from the Louisiana State University Museum of Zoology visited the valley in an effort to obtain distributional, ecological, and behavioral information on birds and small mammals. The purpose of this paper is to provide natural history information for some of the many poorly known species (those with restricted geographical and elevational ranges) encountered during our studies. Of these species, 9 were known from fewer than 10 specimens; 3 others represent the first published records for Peru. Three principal camps were made along the narrow Ollantaytambo-Quillabamba road that passes over Abra Mailaga (3,900 m), and a fourth was at Kiteni (450 m), a small village at the end of that road below Quillabamba. Brief descriptions of the localities, with longitudes and latitudes, follow. Camp 1. -Canchaillo (or Canchailloc) (13007'S, 72022'W), 3,260 m; about 14 road km NW Abra Malaga; 23 July-1 August 1974, 14-15 September 1974. Habitats visited include upper Humid Temperate Zone cloud forest, Puna Zone grassland, and Polylepis-Gynoxys woodland in an elevational range of 2,800-3,960 m. The forest near our camp, at treeline, was very dense, with trees ranging in height from 4 to 8 m and with a variety of short bushes present at the edge. Especially prominent near the camp were the trees Gynoxys spp. (Compositae), Polylepis spp. (Rosaceae), Miconia spp. and Brachyotum spp. (Melastomataceae), Clusia spp. (Guttiferae), bushes of the Ericaceae and Compositae (especially Gynoxys spp.), and bamboo (Chusquea). Tree limbs and trunks were thickly covered with mosses and lichens. About 300 m above main treeline, surrounded by grassland, were small (less than 1 ha) groves of Polylepis trees bordered by Gynoxys shrubs. Some of the rarest species of birds that we found inhabited these woodlands. Mist nets were set in openings cut in forest from 3,000 to 3,240 m; guns were also used to secure specimens at these and other elevations. We collected 152 specimens. Camp 2. -San Luis (13? 06'S, 72025'W); 2,740 m; ca. 30 road km NW Abra Malaga; 1-8 August 1974, 17-22 August 1974. Most of our efforts here were concentrated in Humid Temperate Zone cloud forest averaging about 10 to 12 m in height, from 2,600 to 2,740 m. Arboreal epiphytic growth, including 167 The Auk 97: 167-176. January 1980 This content downloaded from 157.55. 39.165 on Thu, 14 Jul 2016 06:11:30 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor. org/terms 168 PARKER AND O'NEILL [Auk, Vol. 97 mosses, bromeliads and climbing ferns, was abundant. Tree ferns (Lomaria? ) and Chusquea bamboo (Gramineae) were also prevalent. In disturbed areas at the forest edge and near potato gardens were groves of alder trees (Alnus jorullensis). Nets were placed in the forest understory, especially in or near bamboo thickets. We collected 168 specimens. Camp 3. -Aputinye (13? 0'S, 72? 32 'W); 1,670 m; humid subtropical forest on the mountain slope directly above (south of) the village of Huyro; 23 August-3 September 1974. We worked this area from 1,730 m (the upper limit of the Huyro tea plantation) to 1,830 m. Average tree height in the undisturbed forest was about 25-30 m, with some as tall as 40 m. Epiphytic growth was not as abundant as at previously described camps, but hanging vines and orchids were conspicuous. Large tree ferns were common. Along the forest edge fruiting trees of the Melastomataceae and flowering Cecropia spp. (Moraceae) attracted numbers of tanagers and other frugivores and nectarivores. Chusquea bamboo was common in forest openings such as treefalls. A number of bird species were recorded only in trees shading the tea plantation (mainly flowering Inga spp.). We collected 214 specimens. Camp 4. -Pefias (13? 10'S, 72? 18'W); 3,240 m; about 25 road km NE Ollantaytambo, west of Abra Malaga; 8-11 August 1974. This camp was in a narrow deep valley in and around the Inca ruins of Pefias, in a shrub zone not far below grassland. The area was a patchwork of clumps of bushes (primarily Ericaceae and Compositae) and grazed, small pastures. Bordering a small stream were thickets of alders, Alnus jorullensis (Betulaceae) and Clusia sp. (Guttiferae). Small, remnant Polylepis woodlands occurred high on the valley slopes. We collected 88 specimens. Camp 5. -Kiteni (or Quiteni) (ca. 12020'S, 72050'W); 450 m; about 66 road km beyond Rosalina; 5-12 September 1974. In the transition between Dry Tropical Zone deciduous forest and Humid Tropical Zone forest, this camp was on the floodplain of the Urubamba River at the village of Kiteni. On a ridge north of camp, the forest was fairly open, with some arborescent cacti and tall Bombacaceous trees. Arboreal bromeliads were common. Ground cover was sparse. The north-facing ridge opposite camp was covered by denser, more humid forest with a closed canopy averaging about 30 m in height and sparse undergrowth. Immediately adjacent to the river were taller trees (up to 40 m). Several manioc gardens bordered by second growth had been planted on the village outskirts. We collected 90 specimens. In addition to the above localities, observations were made in the vicinity of the city of Cuzco and the villages of Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, Quillabamba and in intervening areas.