A IMPORTÂNCIA DA SERRA DAS TORRES PARA A CONSERVAÇÃO DE AVES NO ESTADO DO ESPÍRITO SANTO, SUDESTE DO BRASIL

The fauna composition of many ecosystems in the state of Espirito Santo is still insuffi ciently known, what makes hard to take decisions on the regional biodiversity conservation. The present paper presents the preliminary results on the ornithological studies developed at Serra das Torres, a region that contains one of the most expressive native forest remains of the southern Espirito Santo. A total of 120 species of birds, distributed among 37 families, were registered in the studied area, including endangered species (Penelope obscura, Strix huhula, Ramphodon naevius and Melanerpes fl avifrons) as well as many endemic species of the Atlantic Forest. However, it is suggested that the local bird richness might be much higher. These data corroborate the premises that Serra das Torres is a major importance area for biological conservation and therefore its inclusion in some category of the National System of Conservation Units (SNUC) is recommended.