Historical sightings In 1941, the German-Brazilian ornithologist
Helmut Sick observed a group of eight tanagers at Jatibocas in
Itarana,
Espírito Santo. He was not able to identify the species, but recorded the appearance of the birds in his field book. It was not until he examined the holotype specimen in Berlin in 1976 that he realized he had seen a flock of cherry-throated tanagers. In 1994, the bird artist Eduardo P. Brettas observed a bird with a red throat patch at a near
Pirapetinga, Minas Gerais. The bird was part of a
mixed species feeding flock that also included the hooded tanager. Brettas declared that he first thought that he saw a cardinal-tanager (
Paroaria), but identified the bird as a cherry-throated tanager after comparing his field sketch with an illustration published in Sick's 1993 book
Birds in Brazil: a natural history during a library visit. In the following two years, three groups of ornithologists visited the for multiple days in an attempt to confirm Brettas's observation, but did not encounter the species. In 2000, Claudia Bauer and colleagues pointed out that the extent of the black face mask as seen in the 1993 book illustration is incorrect, and that Brettas's sketch showed the same mistake, adding to the doubts about the observation's validity. |alt=Colored drawing of the cherry-throated tanager sitting on a twig with some vegetation in the background Another possible sighting was made in October 1995 in the
Augusto Ruschi Biological Reserve in Espírito Santo. The British ornithologist Derek A. Scott, while leading a group of
birdwatchers, briefly saw a bird with a striking red throat patch in the canopy overhead while observing a mixed-species feeding flock; the bird immediately took off and flew about to perch on a tree at the roadside, and then flew out of sight shortly after. No other members of the birding group except for the tour director saw the bird, and an observation with the telescope was not possible. In a 1997 publication discussing his observation, Scott noted that the bird he saw clearly matched the cherry-throated tanager, but that the red throat patch was not pointed and extending over the breast as in the holotype specimen, but square-shaped. This mismatch could be explained by variation between individuals, or – if the bird had been a female – by possible
differences between the sexes. As an alternative hypothesis, Scott suggested that the bird could have been a
hybrid between the hooded tanager and the
rufous-headed tanager, in which case the holotype specimen could also represent a hybrid rather than a distinct species. According to Scott, this hypothesis may explain how a highly distinctive bird could exist in a nature reserve that is relatively well known and has been frequented by birdwatchers since the 1970s. The idea that the holotype specimen might be a hybrid had already been mentioned by the American ornithologist
Charles Sibley in 1996, although without further elaboration. In the final two decades of the 20th century, several authors feared that the species could already be extinct or close to extinction, given the lack of confirmed observations and the extensive
deforestation in south-eastern Brazil. For example, Scott and Brooke remarked in 1985 that "there seems little hope that this distinctive, presumably forest, species could still be extant". Some ornithologists even thought that the holotype specimen was an artifact composed of skins of other species.
Rediscovery The species was rediscovered by a group of six ornithologists on February 22, 1998, in a forest fragment that is part of the Fazenda Pindobas IV, in
Conceição do Castelo. The group was undertaking the last of seven visits to different forest fragments in southern Espírito Santo, a poorly known part of the
Atlantic Forest, to better understand the distribution of resident bird species. The first bird was spotted by the
master's student Claudia Bauer, who immediately identified it as a cherry-throated tanager. The group then observed at least two more individuals, all part of the same mixed-species foraging flock, for about 20 minutes. Two days later, the researchers returned to the site to document their observation; they encountered the same flock, this time containing four cherry-throated tanagers and 18 other bird species. The tanagers were observed for approximately 1.5 hours and attracted with tape recordings of their calls to get better views of their plumage; photographs were also taken. The rediscovery of the species prompted a number of surveys in search for additional populations, and the newly gained knowledge about the bird's distinctive calls facilitated observations. In 2002, the British ornithologist Guy M. Kirwan heard the calls in the Augusto Ruschi Biological Reserve, where Scott had made his possible observation in 1995. The birds were part of a very large mixed-species flock of possibly more than 100 birds, and Kirwan was unable to see one of the cherry-throated tanagers. Early in the next year, Kirwan again heard the calls and spotted one or two individuals. In 2003, the presence of the species was also confirmed in the Caetés forest in
Vargem Alta, Espírito Santo by a birdwatching party. The Brazilian ornithologist Pedro Rogerio de Paz, who led the group, heard calls of several birds which he then attracted by playing recorded calls. A total of eight individuals showed up, the largest group of cherry-throated tanagers observed since 1941, when Sick also observed a group of eight. The species was repeatedly observed at Caetés in the following months. All confirmed sightings of the cherry-throated tanager have been in the state of Espírito Santo, and the species was not found in suitable habitat outside this state despite several searches. Modeling of the potential distribution of the species suggested that
Caparaó National Park might be suitable for the species, but 2021 surveys in the area failed to detect it. the cherry-throated tanager is thought to survive at only two localitiesthe Augusto Ruschi Biological Reserve and the Caetés forestand has probably disappeared from at least two areas where it was previously recorded. Around Itarana, where Sick observed a flock in 1941, there were three possible sightings in the late 1990s, but the area has since been mostly deforested and no further observations have been made. At the Fazenda Pindobas IV in Conceição do Castelo, where Bauer rediscovered the species in 1998, the birds were regularly observed in subsequent years in two connected forest fragments. In 2000, forest was cleared on a property bordering these forests to make room for
coffee plantations. In 2002, a company explored another property bordering one of the forest fragments for marble and granite using explosives; the detonations led to a decrease in activity of the cherry-throated tanagers and of other bird species. The explorations were halted by the authorities. The tanagers temporarily disappeared from one of the two forest fragments after more than 90 vehicles participating in the , a local
off-road race, crossed the forest patch illegally and without the approval of the landowners. Such races are popular in Espírito Santo and have affected nature reserves elsewhere in the state. Since 2006, no further sightings of the cherry-throated tanager were reported from the , despite targeted surveys.
Population status and threats The cherry-throated tanager has been classified as
Critically Endangered by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 1994. It is also listed as Critically Endangered in the
Regional Red Lists of Brazil, Espírito Santo, and Minas Gerais, and the population is thought to be in decline. In 2000, the IUCN estimated the total population at 50 to 249 individuals, though a 2005 study deemed this relatively optimistic estimate to be premature. The known population in 2005 consisted of 14 individuals. In 2008, the
Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) estimated the total population at no more than 20 individuals. In 2018, the IUCN gave an estimate of 30 to 200 individuals, while the ICMBio stated that the total population does not exceed 50 adult birds. The number of known individuals increased from 10 in 2020 to 20 (including fledglings) by the end of 2023, probably thanks to increased conservation efforts at Caetés forest. In 2023, the Caetés forest probably had 15 individuals, while the Augusto Ruschi Biological Reserve had five known individuals. A 2024 review concludes that the total population is probably much smaller than 50 birds as little suitable habitat remains, although it is possible that the relatively large Augusto Ruschi Biological Reserve houses yet undetected birds. The area occupied by the species has been estimated at just by the IUCN in 2018, and the two known localities are separated by approximately of mostly deforested landscape. The major threat to its survival is forest degradation, fragmentation, and deforestation. Remaining forest fragments are often insufficiently protected and become the target of
real estate speculation, are cleared to gain space for crops such as coffee and
Eucalyptus, and are affected by the construction of new infrastructure and urbanization. Forests become degraded by cutting trees for timber, often at small scales but also at larger scales, for example to produce
charcoal. The extraction of
heart of palm (
Euterpe edulis) leads to additional forest degradation. The cherry-throated tanager is particularly susceptible to forest fragmentation and degradation as it requires old-growth forests and avoids areas close to forest edges. The very small population size makes the species highly susceptible to unforeseen events such as natural disasters or variations in natural processes such as
predation, and may potentially lead to
inbreeding. Additional threats include the mining of granite, marble, and limestone that produces dust and leads to heavy traffic and
noise pollution due to frequent
blasting. The excessive use of
pesticides in the region is a potential threat as it may reduce prey abundance.
Poaching is feared to become a concern once the species becomes more widely known. Tourism targeting the species can be problematic if sound recordings are used excessively to attract the birds. The
effects of climate change on the region remain poorly understood but will probably include higher temperatures, less rain, and more frequent storms. Another risk is the lack of support for conservation actions and negative attitudes towards the remaining forests in the local populace. A 2020 survey conducted in the Caetés forest area showed that most locals did not know about the species, with some believing that the species was introduced to the area to enforce conservation of forests.
Conservation The cherry-throated tanager occurs in the Augusto Ruschi Biological Reserve, a
protected area of , as well as in the Caetés forest, a forested area of over that, when the species was discovered there in 2003, was unprotected and split in several properties. From 2011, the
nonprofit organization SAVE Brasil pushed for a large public
nature reserve in the Caetés forest. The state government approved the project in 2015 but later abandoned it due to local opposition. Instead of a public reserve, a smaller
private nature reserve, the Águia Branca Private Reserve, was established in 2017 to protect of the Caetés forest, including parts of the area in which the tanagers occur. In 2021, the Marcos Daniel Institute, supported by several nonprofits, acquired another to create a second private reserve, the Reserva Kaetés. The entire Caetés forest was included in the Pedra Azul–Forno Grande
ecological corridor, a priority area for
conservation recognized by the state. Since 2020, the Cherry-throated Tanager Conservation Program of the Marcos Daniel Institute has implemented various conservation measures such as monitoring, research, and public engagement. In 2020, the team erected an observation platform about away from a nest in the Caetés forest and used a drone to monitor eggs and chicks when the adults were away. One nest was collected using a drone after breeding completed. To increase breeding success, potential predators such as
black capuchins and
channel-billed toucans were chased away, and supplemental feeding of
mealworms has been tried. Several other nests have been successfully protected since, and the team published an
action plan for the conservation of the species in 2021. There are proposals to develop
ecotourism around the tanager, which could potentially benefit local communities. It furthermore serves as a
flagship species to educate and involve local communities, contributing to the protection of the remaining forests. Such public engagement may directly benefit lesser-known Atlantic Forest endemics; for example, farmers have discovered additional localities of the critically endangered catfish
Trichogenes claviger after learning about this species during campaigns focused on the cherry-throated tanager. ==References==