Capturing wild birds is a very common practice in northeastern Brazil, and involves various techniques adapted to hunt specific types of birds for different ends

Capturing wild birds is a very common practice in northeastern Brazil, and involves various techniques adapted to hunt specific types of birds for different ends. This research characterizes the techniques used for capturing wild birds as used by human populations living in urban/rural regions in the western Serido region of Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. The study area encompassed the municipalities of Caico, Sao Joao do Sabugi, Serra Negra do Norte, and Timbauba dos Batistas. Field work was carried out between September/2009 and March/2010. Information was obtained through semi-structured interviews applied to 120 local inhabitants that used or interacted in some way with wild birds. Eleven capture techniques were identified: assapra, manual, visgo, arapuca, arremedo, espera, fojo, sangra, rede, active hunting notuna and hunting with dogs. Assapra, espera, manual were the most widely disseminated capture techniques used in the study area, with 76, 43, and 39 citations respectively. The sertanejos(backlanders) have a set of knowledge system related to birds that includes information about their habitats, the period during the year most auspicious for their capture, appropriate capture techniques, and their feeding behaviors - all of which are of great importance to the success of human synergetic activities. As such, knowledge of the different types of techniques used to capture birds will be important for defining the best strategies to be adopted by government organs responsible for guaranteeing the survival of the bird species involved and the rural human communities that depend on them.