Bromeliad water-drinking birds in Brazil: outline based on a citizen science platform

Bromeliads are ubiquitous and species-rich plants in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, which hold water available for bird-drinking. Herein, we list and illustrate bromeliad water-drinking birds recorded by Brazilian citizen scientists and available at the public platform Wiki Aves. We found photographic records of 36 bird species in the platform. The records indicate that bromeliads as water source for birds originate entirely from the Atlantic Forest, as previously found in the scientific literature. Records of bromeliad water-drinking birds in north-western Brazil are absent from the platform, but there are records from north-eastern and southern Brazil, regions undetected in the scientific literature search. Literature and the present records of bromeliad-drinking birds in Brazil comprise 42 species in 15 families to date, of which 10 are non-passerines and the remaining ones are passerines. Based on previous research, expected bird species were in Ramphastidae, Picidae, Cotingidae, Tyrannidae, Turdidae, and Thraupidae, whereas unforeseen bird species include Psittacidae, Tytiridae, Rhynchocyclidae, Vireonidae, Mimidae, Fringillidae, and Icteridae. Amazonian bromeliad-drinking birds are still lacking, despite bromeliad richness in this biome. However, it should be noted that Amazon Forest harbour lower bromeliad species-richness than the Atlantic Forest. Additional search in citizen science databases and fieldwork are needed to fill this gap.

Automated summary

This study lists and illustrates bird species that drink water from bromeliads in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, using records from Brazilian citizen scientists on the Wiki Aves public platform. The researchers found records of 36 bird species drinking from bromeliads, all originating from the Atlantic Forest. The study suggests that bromeliad water sources for birds in north-western Brazil have not been recorded on the platform, but there are records from north-eastern and southern Brazil that were not found in the scientific literature search. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of bromeliad-drinking birds in Brazil and highlight the need for further research in the Amazon region.