Critically endangered Brazilian Mergansers tagged for the first time

Brazilian Mergansers, Credit Robson Silva e Silva.

Critically endangered water bird to be satellite tracked

October 2008. For the first time, Brazilian Mergansers have been caught, colour ringed and satellite tagged during a highly successful expedition, run by WWT and Terra Brasilis, to Serra da Canastra in Brazil.

The crucial 10 day expedition has resulted in 14 Brazilian Mergansers being ringed, and five were also been fitted with radio transmitters. This will enable valuable information to be collected on their habitat use, movements and social interactions on the River Sao Francisco. These findings will help the project leaders (Terra Brasilis in partnership with Minas Gerais State Forestry Institute - IEF, ICMBio and WWT) to understand what these birds require to survive.

Critically endangered
Brazilian Mergansers are one of just six species of wildfowl to be listed as Critically Endangered on the World Conservation Union Red List. They are extremely sensitive to habitat loss and disturbance caused by factors such as logging, river siltation, mining and tourism. Consequently there are just 200-250 known to exist in the wild, almost all in Brazil. There are a few known in Argentina, but they have not been seen in Paraguay for more than 20 years. However, areas remain which haven't been surveyed adequately.

WWT programme manager for waterbird monitoring Rich Hearn, who participated in the expedition, explains: "This trip has been extremely successful and a valuable learning experience for all involved. The conservation team from Terra Brasilis are now ready to continue to capture and mark more mergansers as the breeding season comes to an end for another year over the next month or so. Partnerships such as this one between WWT and Terra Brasilis are one of the most effective ways in which WWT can support the conservation of threatened waterbirds. The efforts being made in Brazil to secure a bright future for one of the rarest and most enigmatic birds in the world will continue to be supported by WWT in the years ahead."