Bamboo stalks belonging to the genus Guadua are an important component in the landscape of the rainforest in areas in Southwestern Amazon especially in Madre de Dios, located in Southeastern Peru. Madre de Dios is particularly well knows for its incredible biodiversity, being considered a global hotspot by Conservation International. Impenetrable stands of bamboo cover huge areas, often along rivers, but are otherwise patchily distributed creating bamboo dominated forest in some areas. Growing in a very dense, monotypic stands, it gives a unique habitat for birds. Although bamboo is the dominant species, some small understorey shrubs occur and emergent trees may rise out of the bamboo. The bamboo undergoes cyclical die-offs where the bamboo flowers, sets seed and then dies off.
During the 1980s, the late Ted Parker, who spent many years studying the avifauna in Tambopata area, discovered the occurrence of certain species of birds restricted to bamboo forests in Explorer’s Inn area. Parker considered that these species were generally scarce, due to their habitat, but later, with improved knowledge of their calls, found the species to be more common in other areas of bamboo farther upriver.
In 1992, Parker with a group of researchers known as the RAP (Rapid Assessment Program) Team from Conservation International went to this area know as the “Collpa de Guacamayos” (the macaw’s clay lick) to do some surveys. A graduate student from Louisiana State University, Andrew Kratter, formed part of the team and he subsequently stayed on to study the bamboo birds as part of his doctoral research. Kratter mapped territories of understory and subcanopy birds to determine the species associated with bamboo thickets and he defined a bird as “bamboo specialist” by the frequency of occurrence in this habitat and its absence in all the other habitats at the study site.
Kratter found a group of 19 species that met the criteria he used for his research. Six he classified as “obligate bamboo users” as they were entirely restricted to bamboo thickets, seven were consider “near-obligate bamboo users” because they seems to occur almost wholly within or near bamboo thickets but they were occasionally recorded in other habitats, and six were considered “facultative bamboo users” as they also used habitats other than bamboo regularly. In addition of these 19 birds that met his criteria to qualify as “bamboo specialists”, he also registered an additional 13 species closely associated with bamboo but which were, either too rare, or too infrequently recorded in his study areas to be considered “bamboo specialists”. Amongst these were seven that were frequently found in bamboo but also used tree fall gaps and river edges and six that were considered to apparently be bamboo specialists but were too rarely recorded.
* Rufous-headed Woodpecker Celeus spectabilis
* Manu Antbird Cercomacra manu
* Striated Antbird Drymophila devillei
* Flammulated Bamboo-Tyrant Hemitriccus flammulatus
* White-cheeked Tody-Tyrant Poecilotriccus albifacies
* Large-headed Flatbill Ramphotrigon megacephala
* Peruvian Recurvebill Simoxenops ucayalae
* Dusky-cheeked (Crested) Foliage-Gleaner Anabazenops dorsalis
* Brown-rumped Foliage-Gleaner Automolus melanopezus
* Bamboo Antshrike Cymbilaimus
sanctaemariae
* White-lined Antibird Percnostola
lophotes
* Goeldi’s Antbird Myrmeciza goeldii
* Dusky-tailed Flatbill Ramphotrigon
fuscicauda
* Rufous-breasted Piculet Picumnus rufiventris
* Red-billed Scythebill Campylohramphus trochilirostri
* Cabanis’ Spinetail Synallaxis cabanisi
* Ornate Antwren Myrmotherula ornata
* Ihering’s Antwren Myrmotherula iheringi
* Dot-winged Antwren Microrhopias
quixensis
* Black-capped Tinamou Crypturellus
atrocapillus
* Chestnut-crowned Foliage-Gleaner Automolus rufipileatus
* Blackish Antbird Cercomacra nigrescens
* Warbling Antbird Hypocnemis cantator
* Bran-colored Flycatcher Myiophobus fasciatus
* Euler’s Flycatcher Lathrotriccus euleri
* Moustached Wren Thryothorus genibarbis
* Pavonine Cuckoo Dromococcyx pavoninus
* Chestnut-capped Puffbird Bucco macrodactylus
* Yellow-billed Nunbird Monasa
flavirostris
* Chestnut-capped Nunlet Nonnula
ruficapilla
* Ruddy Foliage-Gleaner Automolus rubiginosus
* Slate-colored Seedeater Sporophila schistacea
Within the Amazon, bamboo specialization tends to be a phenomena mainly found in the south-western region adjacent to the Andean foothills; although some of the species involved, particularly the species that are not obligate bamboo users have wider ranges and are found in other habitats elsewhere. Several of the bamboo specialists have sister taxa in southeastern Brazil, which are also bamboo specialists, suggesting that bamboo specialization evolved when both regions were connected by bamboo.
The bamboo-dominated forest of Madre de Dios also supports several other animals that are restricted to the habitat including the Bamboo Rat (hard to see but easily heard at night), a poison-arrow frog and several species of butterfly and dragonfly.
Bamboo specialist bird species are most readily found at any of a number of lodges on the Manu and Tambopata Rivers in Madre de Dios. Birding bamboo can be very rewarding for the visiting birder, but beware the very sharp thorns on the bamboo that can open flesh; a good trail is a great advantage. Many of the bamboo specialists are retiring and can be hard to see, knowledge of vocalizations or a local guide are key to getting to grips with some of these highly sought after specialties.
*is a freelance bird guide who has spent several years in the Tambopata area.
pepereds@hotmail.com
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