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Birdwatching requires a lot of attention and physical endurance from any birdwatcher who proposes to venture into REGUA. The hot and humid climate, characteristic of the Atlantic Forest, the winding and steep trails, added to the natural shyness of birds, makes this hobby a real challenge. Even the forest litter consisting of remains of plants and accumulation of living organic material at different stages of decomposition, can disturb this activity, because the noise treading in this material, denounces the presence of someone on the trails. One of the most difficult birds to spot is the Macuco ( Tinamus lolitarius ), a large terrestrial bird that was historically persecuted and highly prized by its meat. The Solitary tinamou is endemic of the Atlantic Forest, feeds mainly on insects and is classified as “almost threatened” by the red list of threatened IUCN species. Although hunting has significantly diminished inside REGUA land and occasionally one can listen to the call of these birds in a forest corner, even so it is still quite difficult to see it. It is probably easier to find a nest on the ground with some turquoise green eggs than the birds themselves. Adilei da Cunha in one of his forest walks reported back his enthusiasm to hear an adult vocalizing and, trying to localize and follow it, found only a chick trying to camouflage itself between the leaves. As it was well hidden, it was difficult to capture a clear image. It was a moment of joy to Adilei, as he rarely sees these birds in nature. This is a good sign that the efforts of the REGUA for the protection and conservation of forests are contributing to the increase of the population of many species of the local fauna. Data: 04/04/21

Most moths feed on flower nectar and thus act as pollinators. Others live for a few hours or days and accumulate fat in the larval stage, so that the adults barely eat, drinking only water. However, several groups of the family Erebidae (ex-Noctuidae latu sensu + Arctiidae) are frugivorous, feeding on ripe fruits that are beginning to decompose. They include the well-known and popular genus Catocala from the northern temperate region, which can be attracted by brushing fruit puree on tree bark and trunks. Some genera of the Calpinae subfamily have specialized in piercing the skin of intact fruits with their proboscis or spiritrompa, a typical mouthpart of 99% of adult Lepidoptera, which in this case has a pointed and barbed tip, allowing the moth to pierce the skin of the fruit and sip its juice, with some of them being considered pests of citrus fruit orchards. In our region, the colorful genus Eudocima occurs, with a pantropical distribution (species in all tropical regions), exemplified by the individual seen here on a fallen fruit. Finally, as a matter of ‘curiosity’, Nature went a little further and the modifications of the moth proboscis that facilitated it to pierce intact fruits, with further 'improvements' allowed the appearance of some hematophagous species in Southeast Asia capable of piercing the skin of mammals to feed on the blood of large animals, including local cattle. These are the ‘vampire’ moths of the genus Calyptra . The typical thing in this Asian genus is to feed on the tear secretion of these animals, but half a dozen species have specialized in hematophagy, just like mosquitoes. Data: 22/06/21

For our guests and visitors who love nature photography, insects and arachnids, a popular spot to visit on their REGUA tours is the ‘Onofre Cunha’ forest fragment. It is one of the largest extant lowland forest fragments in the region, roughly cut in two by the paved road that connects Funchal to Guapiaçu. Despite having suffered selective logging, hunting and some degradation by surrounding agricultural activities, many interesting, rare or hard-to-find species can still be seen with some regularity (as opposed to reforested areas that exhibit much population fluctuations) and many new records over the years have originated there. It is no surprise, then, that after 12 years of regular visits, sampling, and monitoring of butterflies in this fragment, a specimen of the rarest of South America's emperor butterflies (genus Doxocopa) suddenly appeared, showing itself in a sunny spot on the trail in the early morning for long enough to be photographed! Doxocopa laurona is an endemic species of the Atlantic Forest known only from half a dozen locations scattered throughout the South and Southeast of Brazil, from sea level to about 900 m: the Rio Doce valley (states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo), Petrópolis (type locality), and forested hills in the lake region from Saquarema to Cabo Frio (RJ), Antonina (PR) and Joinville (SC). The photo above depicts an unmistakable male of Doxocopa laurona , which belongs to a group of four species where both sexes are mimetic of Adelpha (generally only the females of Doxocopa resemble Adelpha ). In this group, only the males of three of them have the typical purple-violet reflection according to the wing openinng angle. Thus, it is easy to distinguish the males of D. laurona from those of the most common and widespread species of the group – Doxocopa linda – since, like the females, the males of the latter lack this purple-violet reflection. Interestingly, this later species flies throughout continental Tropical America along with the other species in the group whose males have the reflex, while these reflexive species have mutually exclusive geographic distributions, with no overlap in their respective flight areas. Given that the violet reflex of males is a secondary sexual characteristic that probably guides the respective females in the selection of the appropriate conspecific male, it helps avoiding hybridization between distinct species in nature. This would explain why D. linda is the only species that flies together with all the purplish ones, given that its males unmistakable lack that reflex, thus sharing territory locally with D. laurona over South and Southeast of Brazil. On the same day, a female from this group was spotted during monitoring on the same trail, originally identified as D. linda . However, as it turned out, it could either be that one or a female of D. laurona (previously unknown in the area), because all females are devoid of violet reflection and very similar to each other. Date: 11/04/22

During the 18th, 19th and 20th of August, at RPPN Regua – Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve, the SISS-Geo Fiocruz team, together with the technical team from the General Coordination of Zoonoses, the General Coordination of Arboviruses and Systems of the Ministry of Health, worked together to integrate wild and urban zoonoses into SISS-Geo. The choice of RPPN REGUA as the location for the workshop was due to the alignment of the teams involved in the efforts to bring government institutions and NGOs closer to the objectives for implementing initiatives for One Health, in addition to the logistics and the comfortable and safe environment for holding workshops. The SISS-Geo Urban Zoonoses Workshop was a hybrid meeting with in-person participation at the REGUA Lodge in Cachoeira de Macacu, Rio de Janeiro and also online. The activity is a strategic part of the pilot project for the structuring and expansion of the Wildlife Health Information System (SISS-Geo) to hosts of urban zoonoses. More information at: http://www.biodiversidade.ciss.fiocruz.br Data: 06/09/21

The Screech owl ( Megascops atricapilla ) belongs to the Strigidae family, which includes all species of owls in Brazil, with the exception of the Barn owl ( Tyto furcata ). The Screech owl is found in southeastern Brazil, northern Argentina and eastern Paraguay. According to the IUCN classification, it is classified as Least Concern (LC). Like most owls, it is a crepuscular owl that feeds on a variety of insects, rodents, small mammals and small birds. It uses hollow tree cavities and abandoned nests to nest. These owls are associated with dense, well-preserved rainforests. This bird was recorded by Adilei Cunha, who had been listening to its call for a few days, not far from his house, and decided one night to venture into the forest in search of it! Data: 01/06/2021

Last week, we began planting a one-hectare area at Sítio Recanto Feliz, owned by the Prohmann family, where the headquarters of the company ActionShop Serviços Ambientais (wastewater treatment) is also located. We were joined by the couple Arthur and Mary and their daughter Liliane, who got their hands dirty by planting significant and symbolic species of the Atlantic Forest, such as Jequitibás, Ipês and Quaresmeiras (families Lecythidaceae, Bignoniaceae and Melastomataceae respectively). In addition to his conscious action and great concern for future generations, Arthur Prohmann presented the REGUA team with a poem he wrote, honoring International Women's Day and the environment. The forest restoration activity carried out at Sítio Recanto Feliz is being made possible through a partnership between REGUA and WWF-Brazil. Data: 14/03/22

Volunteers (from the left) Martin Smart, Rachel Walls and Lee Dingain at the REGUA stand (© REGUA) REGUA was represented at the British Birdwatching Fair on the World Land Trust stand again this year, with volunteers Rachel Walls, Lee Dingain and Martin Smart working hard to promote the excellent birdwatching and pioneering conservation work at REGUA and Guapi Assu Bird Lodge. It was a very exciting event with many people and several new tour operators showing an interest. Many familiar faces and enthusiastic supporters of REGUA came by to say hello and hear about the latest projects taking place. We also met one group who booked to stay at the Lodge this September after visiting us at the stand last year, proving that the Birdfair is well worth the investment! Ruth and Alan of The Biggest Twitch came to say hello and gave REGUA a fabulous mention during their lecture, where they spoke about their adventures to date. All in all we felt the Birdfair was very worthwhile, with even more people visiting the stand this year. Many people had friends and work colleagues that had recommended us, so the word is spreading! Many thanks to everyone who stopped by and we look forward to meeting you in Brazil soon.

Amphisbaenian found at REGUA, 7 November 2008, identified as Small-headed Worm Lizard Leposternon microcephalum (© John Feltwell) On 7 November 2008, guests walking the Waterfall Trail discovered a new species of snake for the reserve – a beautiful, but deadly, Atlantic Coralsnake Micrurus corallinus . While photographing the snake, the group noticed that the snake had killed an earthworm-like creature. Suspected to be an amphisbaenian – a reptile related to lizards and snakes – the identification was confirmed by Chris Knowles of Shepreth Wildlife Park, Cambridgeshire, UK, as being a Small-headed Worm Lizard Leposternon microcephalum . Amphisbaenians are rare and poorly known because they spend most of their lives burrowing underground. There are about 150 species, found mainly in South America and Africa. They have reinforced skulls and loose skin which enables them to burrow, are blind (their eyes are covered in skins and scales), and carnivorous, using their hearing to locate prey. This discovery has not only increased our knowledge of the biodiversity of the reserve, but has enabled us to learn about one of the more mysterious animals that make up the Atlantic Forest ecosystem.

Red-billed Curassows Crax blumenbachii being released at REGUA, 19 September 2008 (© Lee Dingain) On 19 September 2008, another 10 Red-billed Curassows Crax blumenbachii were released at REGUA. Stephen Rumsey of BART, which funds the project, was present to open the release pen. The birds needed some encouragement, but after a while the group of two males and eight females finally took their first steps into the wild. There have now been a total of 48 Red-billed Curassows released at REGUA, all of which have had radio tags and numbered rings fitted. Some of these birds have been predated and some have lost their tags, but the 23 known survivors are providing vital information which will assist with the planning and implementation of further release programmes. Birds are occasionally sighted around the reserve and biologist Christine Steiner from São Carlos University, São Paulo, who is studying the birds, is hopeful that one pair might possibly breed in the current season (August 2008 to March 2009).