Area Covered

The Land Birds of Southeast Brazil deals principally with the southern portion of that area of eastern Brazil that is (or was) originally covered by humid Atlantic tropical and related sub-tropical forests at higher elevations. Such forests occur only along the immediate Atlantic coast of Brazil and are further unusual in extending a considerable distance south of the Tropic of Capricorn while retaining their tropical nature. Inland, however they extend for less than 100 kilometers or so before they are replaced by (what was originally) drier semi-deciduous forests, with areas of cerradão to the north and cerrado and also aruacaria or coniferous forests to the west.

Practically, this area is centered on the city of São Paulo, extending from that city 300-400 kilometers to Rio de Janeiro in the east, Curitiba in the south and north to approximately 22° South latitude, covering the following specific geographic features:

1.
The coastal littoral.

2.
The coastal mountains of the Serra do Mar which extend in some cases on to coastal islands such as the Ilha São Sebastião.

3.
Intermontane valleys, principally of the Ribeira river and the upper valley of the River Paraiba.

4.
The inland mountains of the Serra de Paranapiacaba, the Serra da Mantiqueira and the Serra dos Orgãos,

5.
Adjacent portions of the Parana Altiplano in the upper drainage of the rivers Parapanema and Tiete.

Areas beyond these limits may also be covered by checklists intended to illustrate specific distribution ranges. Species that occur only in extralimital areas and do not extend into the area of coverage are included if they might be encountered as vagrants. As may be gathered from the title coastal marine and pelagic habitats are excluded.