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With its grey back , black mask and bright red throat , the Critically Endangered Cherry-throated Tanager is a strikingly beautiful bird . It is also one of the world ’ s rarest . Seen only once after its discovery in 1870 , the species was believed to be extinct until a small population was rediscovered in the highly vulnerable Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest in 1988 .
Large-scale agricultural conversion of its habitat has pushed this species to the brink of extinction . Only 10-20 individuals of this range-restricted endemic species have been confirmed in the wild , forced to move between forest fragments to survive . Rampant deforestation is a threat to the majority of birds , but for endemic species like this , the clearing of just one group of trees could destroy its one and only habitat .
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Protecting the birds of Brazil has been a conservation priority for Rainforest Trust for many years . After receiving word from our Brazilian partner , Instituto Marcos Daniel , that they found one of the only remaining Cherry-throated Tanager nests , our organizations have collaborated to envision a plan to protect the last remaining habitat for this imperiled species .
URGENT tab
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We are now working together to save the last population of the species from extinction through the creation of a 788-acre protected area of spectacularly beautiful primary Atlantic Rainforest . This is the last stand for the Cherry-throated Tanager and will become an exquisite reserve just hours from Rio de Janeiro .
LEARN MORE : rainforesttrust . org / tanager
“ This project is critical to save one
of Brazil ’ s rarest and most beauti-
ful endemic species ,” said Bob
Ridgely , Rainforest Trust President
Emeritus . “ But this land will also be
an important step for global conservation
, as it supports numerous
other exceedingly rare birds as well
as some endangered monkeys and
even an endemic sloth !”
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