title: Abundance of Harpy and Crested Eagles from a reservoir-impact area in the Low- and Mid-Xingu River.
abstract: In the Brazilian Amazon, two monospecific genera, the Harpy Eagle and Crested Eagle have low densities and are classified by IUCN as Near Threatened due to habitat loss, deforestation, habitat degradation and hunting. In this study, we evaluate occurrence of these large raptors using the environmental surveys database from Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant. Integrating the dataset from two methods, we plotted a distribution map along the Xingu River, including records over a 276-km stretch of river. Terrestrial surveys (RAPELD method) were more efficient for detecting large raptors than standardized aquatic surveys, although the latter were complementary in areas without modules. About 53% of the records were obtained during activities of wildlife rescue/flushing, vegetation suppression or in transit. Between 2012 and 2014, four Harpy Eagles were removed from the wild; two shooting victims, one injured by collision with power lines and one hit by a vehicle. Also, seven nests were mapped. The mean distance between Harpy Eagle records was 15 km along the river channel, with a mean of 20 km between nests near the channel, which allowed us to estimate 20 possible pairs using the alluvial forest, riverine forest and forest fragments. Territories of another ten pairs will probably be affected by inundation of the Volta Grande channel, which is far from the main river. The average distance between Crested Eagle records was 16 km along the river channel. The only nest found was 1.3 km away from a Harpy Eagle nest. The remnant forests are under threat of being replaced by cattle pastures, so we recommend that permanently protected riparian vegetation borders (APP) be guaranteed, and that forest fragments within 5 km of the river be conserved to maintain eagle populations.
authors.affiliation: Coordenação de Pesquisas em Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Sanaiotti
authors.affiliation: BIOTA Projetos e Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Junqueira
authors.affiliation: Leme Engenharia Ltda, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Palhares
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil.
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Aguiar-Silva
authors.affiliation: Coordenação de Pesquisas em Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil.
authors.forename: L M P
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Henriques
authors.affiliation: Leme Engenharia Ltda, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: BIOTA Projetos e Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: V Y
authors.initials: VY
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.affiliation: BIOTA Projetos e Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: BIOTA Projetos e Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mota
authors.affiliation: BIOTA Projetos e Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Trombin
authors.affiliation: Systema Naturae Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: D N A
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Villar
authors.affiliation: BIOTA Projetos e Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lara
authors.affiliation: BIOTA Projetos e Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: BIOTA Projetos e Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Castilho
authors.affiliation: BIOTA Projetos e Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yosheno
authors.affiliation: BIOTA Projetos e Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Alencar
authors.affiliation: BIOTA Projetos e Consultoria Ambiental Ltda, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cesca
authors.affiliation: Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brazil.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.affiliation: Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Boa Vista, RR, Brazil.
authors.forename: T O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Laranjeiras
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Mathias
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Mendonça
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D020307:Eagles / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011156:Population Density; D011210:Power Plants