Of 15,277 square miles/39,567 km2 of original forest of the Pernambuco Center, only 736 square miles/1,907 km2 (5 percent) are left. The remaining forest is fragmented in more than 1,400 parcels most of which are less than 100 hectares (247 acres) and are surrounded by agricultural and urban development.
"Pernambuco Center is the most critical bio-geographical region in all of the Atlantic Forest," said Luiz Paulo Pinto, Conservation International's Director for the Atlantic Forest. "The implementation of a biodiversity corridor in this area will require immediate action at different levels, using scientific information and building alliances with several sectors of society."
The new owl species is closely related to the Amazonian pygmy-owl (Glaucidium hardyi) and the least pygmy-owl (Glaucidium minutissimum) from southeastern Brazil, but differs by the coloration of its plumage, its shape and its vocalization. The crown of Glaucidium mooreorum is dark brown with white spots; the back is dark reddish brown; the tail is dark brown with five horizontal white bands that appear as irregular white spots; the abdomen is white with light reddish brown streaks.
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Contact: Pamela Moyer
p.moyer@conservation.org
202-912-1294
Conservation International
13-Jun-2003