THE IMPORTANCE OF GRAY LITERATURE, CITIZEN SCIENCE AND FIELD RESEARCH FOR ORNITHOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE GUARAPIRANGA RESERVOIR, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Abstract

Scientific knowledge is formed by different sources of data, including gray literature, which is generally characterized as documents published in non-peer-reviewed media and not indexed in traditional platforms. A significant part of Brazilian ornithological knowledge is still in the form of gray literature, including many studies carried out in the municipality of São Paulo, one of the most studied regions of the country. Here, we retrieved, organized and analyzed ornithological data from gray literature, online platforms, traditional literature, and unpublished fieldwork data, for the “Barragem” region of the Guarapiranga reservoir in the southern part of the city of São Paulo, Southeast Brazil. A total of 177 bird species have been recorded in the last 38 years at four locations. These include nine Atlantic Forest endemic species, eight migratory species, 27 partially migratory species and three endangered species. Data for only 80 of the 177 species were published in traditional media, which would provide an underestimate of the species richness of the region as data for 144 species were to gray literature, including some overlaps, underestimating the species richness of the region and highlighting the importance of literature as a source of information. The mosaic of existing natural environments still preserves part of the original avifauna, even under strong urban influence from the surrounding area, with emphasis on birds from the highly-threatened floodplain environment. The region of the Guarapiranga reservoir has high potential for new ornithological records, and for research and birdwatching, and needs further exploration.