Birding Brazil Tours & Nature Photography

Brazilian Amazon rewards us with the description of 15 new bird species in which a staggering 12 being endemic south of the Amazon river! The species descriptions are included in the special volume of Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) published last month. The new species are Campina Jay (Cyanocorax hafferi), Xingu Woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptes retentus), Roosevelt Stipple-throated Antwren (Epinecrophylla dentei), Bamboo Antwren (Myrmotherula oreni), Predicted Antwren (Herpsilochmus praedictus), Aripuana Antwren (Herpsilochmus stotzi), Manicore Warbling-Antbird (Hypocnemis rondoni), Chico's Tyrannulet (Zimmerius chicomendesi), Sucunduri Yellow-margined Flycatcher (Tolmomyias sucunduri), Western Striolated-Puffbird (Nystalus obamai), Inambari Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes fatimalimae), Tupana Scythebill (Campylorhamphus gyldenstolpei), Tapajós Scythebill (Campylorhamphus cardosoi), Acre Tody-Tyrant (Hemitriccus cohnhafti, see photo) and Inambari Gnatcatcher (Polioptila attenboroughi).

Andy Whittaker was involved in the discovery and description of the last five, and lead author of the Inambari Gnatcatcher (Polioptila attenboroughi) which he named in honor of one of his childhood mentor Sir David Attenborough, who later Andy was lucky to have been consultant for Life of Birds in the Amazon. Sir David has inspired millions of people around the world with his educative BBC nature history programs over the last 50 years, certainly deserving this tribute.