Black-fronted piping-guan  (Pipile jacutinga)

The black-fronted piping-guan is one of the most prized game birds of the Atlantic forest. Although it is illegal to hunt this species, remaining populations are threatened by poaching, even in protected areas. Compounding the threat of hunting is the impact of habitat loss (2) (4). 90 percent of the Atlantic forest has already been cleared, leaving little habitat for the black-fronted piping-guan (5). Remaining forest patches are under threat from legal and illegal conversion to agriculture and the construction of hydro-electric dams (2) (4).

The black-fronted piping-guan is protected by law in Brazil but this has little impact on the rate of poaching there. Similarly, it is found in several state parks and reserves including Urugua-í Provincial Park and Iguazú National Park, both in Misiones, but the security offered by these has had little effect on bolstering the species’ numbers. There are several captive breeding programmes which have had some success, but reintroduction has so far been unsuccessful. Awareness campaigns and the enforcement of anti-poaching measures seem to be the best hope for this species, with regular surveying to follow its progress (2) (4).