Sira Barbet

Species News

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  FOUND: Sira Barbet and Peruvian Solitaire in southeastern Peru

  John C. Mittermeier / 5 Feb 2025

  Two birds lost to science, the Sira Barbet and Peruvian Solitaire, were recently observed in Peru during an expedition led by the NGO GECO Nature in July 2024.

  The isolated Cordillera de Sira, which straddles the departments of Huanuco, Pasco, and Ucayali in central Peru, hasn’t been well-surveyed by scientists. The northern part of the cordillera is the only area that has had a formal ornithological survey, notably by the work of John Weske and John Terborgh in the late 1960s, and more recently by Jacob Socolar et al. (2013). It wasn't until 2008 that the southern part of the cordillera was explored by ornithologists for the first time and the Sira Barbet was first described to western science (Harvey et al. 2011, Seeholzer et al. 2012). Since this discovery, the barbet as well as several other species endemic to the Sira have been re-sighted by a few adventurous observers willing to walk for several days on very steep terrain, with the most recent records of the barbet and Peruvian Solitaire being photographs taken in October 2013. There have been no documented records of either species since and, in the case of the barbet, there are no records in eBird, or any other citizen science platform, since the bird’s description.

  In July 2024, three GECO Nature members, myself (ornithology), Raphael Sané (chiropterology), and Ombline Chabasseur (chiropterology), together with Jasmín Odar, a member of the Instituto Peruano de Herpetología (IPH), decided to survey the southern part of the Cordillera de Sira, and specifically visit areas that had not been visited by the ornithological surveys in 2008.

  After 10 days of fieldwork — which got off to a good start with the discovery of numerous species that were rare or previously unrecorded in the Cordillera de Sira, including Uniform Crake, Peruvian Recurvebill, Black-and-white Tody-Flycatcher, Spectacled Bristle-Tyrant, Scarlet-breasted Fruiteater, Gray-tailed Piha, and Wing-banded Wren — we decided to change study sites. On the first day at this new site, I heard and then observed three Sira Barbets, at an altitude of 1,750 meters, well above the highest altitude known to date for this species. With the careful use of playback, a total of five individuals were finally observed by our whole group, and Jasmín Odar took a few photos, our only documented evidence of this encounter. In just a few hours at this new site, we recorded several other interesting species as well, such as Sira Tanagers, Plain-backed Antpittas, and Vermillion Tanagers.

  Following the success of our first day, we initially hoped to return to the site to complete the inventory and, above all, to learn more about the barbet's ecology. After further discussions with the local community, however, we decided it was better for us not to spend more time at this particular site. The Sira mountain range is populated by Asheninka communities, and each has authority over what is and isn't allowed to be done there. Relations with these communities can sometimes be very complicated, and local people often have a strong distrust of foreigners.  In our case, the community leader who helped us arrange our visit was initially supportive, but after our first day it emerged that other members of the community were concerned about having foreigners on their land. Out of respect for these worries, we decided it was best to relocate. Likewise, we have hidden the exact location where we saw the Sira Barbet on eBird and other platforms for the time being.

  During the first half of 2025, a group from the Peruvian NGO CORBIDI will visit the site to continue discussions with the local community, and to try to organize future visits to the site for birdwatchers. So hopefully access may be possible soon. In the meantime, we discourage any observers from trying to visit this area.

  With our expedition to the southern Cordillera cut short, we decided to head for the northern Cordillera de Sira to survey the trail used by Weske and Terborgh in the late 1960s. Against all expectations, the visit to this trail was very easy to organize with the backing of the Servicio Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado (SERNANP) and ECOSIRA, the co-managers of the El Sira Communal Reserve.

  It was here in the north that we found our second lost bird of the trip when I observed and recorded two Peruvian Solitaires on August 4 and 5. My recordings of the solitaire can be listened to on eBird here. In addition to the solitaire, we also made observations of several rare species like Andean Laniisoma and Sira Curassow, which is currently considered Critically Endangered.

  All of our bird observations made during our visit to the Sira, except those concerning the location where the Sira Barbet was found, can be viewed in our eBird report.

  An iNaturalist report, with pictures of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and more, can be seen here.

  Fabrice Schmitt has loved Neotropical birds since his first visit to Peru in 1995, and has spent years living in South America and traveling around the region. He is closely involved with the Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile (ROC), an American Bird Conservancy partner organization, and currently works as tour leader for Wings Birding Tours.

  GECO Nature, in partnership with local organizations, has been organizing naturalist surveys in little-known areas of Peru for more than ten years. We invite you to join or support our work.

  Note: In January 2025, there was another sighting of Sira Barbet, including some fantastic photos of the bird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S211910342 Hopefully more observations of this species are soon to come!

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