LAUSR

The Scarlet Ibis occurred in large numbers at the coast of Paraná until the nineteenth century, but a drastic decrease in its population ended with regional disappearance. The return of the species to São Paulo coast since the 1980s has been projecting its gradual reestablishment towards the southern Brazil. Here we studied the Scarlet Ibis in a mangrove ecosystem in the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex. Eighteen campaigns were conducted from October 2012 to September 2013, in an area between the bays of Laranjeiras and Pinheiros, totaling 1559 counts. Adult specimens accounted for 91.73 %. The largest group was observed in January and comprised 225 individuals, although groups were more consistently large between April and August (which corresponds to the least rainy season). This study suggests that Scarlet Ibis are recolonizing Paraná and that mangrove ecosystem preservation is extremely important to sustain the increase of Scarlet Ibis population.