Occurrence of Stercorarius pomarinus (Temminck, 1815, Charadriiformes: Stercorariidae) in the Cananéia estuary, southern coast of São Paulo State

Abstract

Many Neartic seabirds migrate to South America for the non-breeding season, using several key stopover and wintering sites along the Atlantic coast. The Stercorarius pomarinus is a widely distributed seabird found in every Ocean. It is a migratory bird from northern North America that flies southwards. However, there is little information about the occurrence of Stercorarius pomarinus along the São Paulo State coast. Former publications concerning the birds of Iguape- Cananéia- Ilha Comprida estuary have made no mention of the presence of this bird in the region. Thus it is important that forthcoming appearances be recorded. Throughout the bird-sample selection stage, undertaken since 1998 in the Cananéia estuary (25° 02' 44.71" S and 47° 55' 14.58" W) - 272 km from the city of São Paulo -, the bird was seen for the first time, resting in the Cananéia estuary, in January (2012). This note reports the occurrence of Stercorarius pomarinus in the Cananéia estuary, on the southern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil.