Black-cheeked gnateater
Conservation Status: Least Concern (population decreasing)
Tracks featuring this species:
’Afterlife’, Laima Leyton and Iggor Cavalera
The black-cheeked gnateater (Conopophaga melanops) is a species of bird in the family Conopophagidae, native to Brazil. The male is distinguished by its orange crown, black face and white throat, while the female has brown plumage. Already endangered in some locations, the black-cheeked gnateater’s numbers are decreasing and its range along the eastern coastal areas of Brazil has been fragmented by habitat destruction.
Photo Credit: Dario Sanches (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Climate connections
The fragmentation of this species’ habitat throughout Brazil’s Atlantic forest increases its vulnerability to ongoing and future climate impacts. The forest plays an important role in mitigating climate change in the whole region. According to WWF, one hectare of forest in the Upper Paraná ecoregion can store an average of 223.5 tons of carbon. Protecting the black-cheeked gnateater’s habitat and the biodiversity of the Atlantic forest as a whole - through actions such as ending deforestation, establishing friendly agro-ecosystems, and monitoring infrastructure projects - therefore also helps to tackle climate change.
