Atlantic royal flycatcher  (Onychorhynchus swainsoni)

Like much of Brazil's biodiversity, the Atlantic royal flycatcher population is thought to be undergoing a rapid decline as a result of extensive habitat loss, following widespread clearance, degradation and fragmentation of Atlantic forest (2).

This endemic bird is known to occur within several protected areas, including Monte Pascoal, Itatiaia and Serra da Bocaina National Parks, Intervales State Park, Ubatuba Experimental Station, the Guaricana Forest Reserves (Guaratuba and Morretes), Salto Morato private reserve (Guaraqueçaba), Pico do Marumbi State Park, Saint Hilaire-Lange National Park, Fazenda Monte Alegre private reserve, and a private reserve at Piquete. Further study of this bird, its distribution, ecology and the threats it faces would help clarify its status and conservation needs, and thereby help safeguard its future (2). Despite its highly fragmented and diminishing status, the Atlantic forest still maintains a rich array of biodiversity, including many endemic species, and as such, remains one of the highest priorities for conservation action around the world (4).