INTRODUCTION

This list includes species that occur or might occur in Departamento Loreto, Peru, below 200 m elevation. This area includes the lowlands of the Amazon basin in northeastern Peru and excludes the foothills and lower slopes of the Andes. Special effort is made to identify those species with distributions restricted by one of the major rivers in Loreto or with subspecies separated by one of these rivers.

The R’os Mara–on and Amazonas flow roughly eastward across the breadth of Loreto. The R’o Ucayali joins the Mara–on from the south to form the Amazonas. Farther downstream the R’o Napo joins from the north. The R’o Huallaga joins the Mara–on upstream from the Ucayali.

The Amazonas is the limit of many species' ranges. The Mara–on and Ucayali are limits for fewer species, and the Napo and Huallaga are limits for very few species or subspecies. Often taxa limited by the Amazonas in eastern Loreto are limited by either the Mara–on or the Ucayali in western Loreto. Altogether about 15% of species are limited, or have subspecies limited, by the Amazon in conjunction with either the Mara–on or Ucayali.

Although this general pattern is clear, few species have been investigated carefully at enough locations on both sides of these rivers to justify detailed conclusions about distributions. There is always the possibility of enclaves on the "wrong" side of a river (see Myiobius barbatus [Robbins et al. 1991] and the night monkeys Aotus nancymai and A. vociferans [Aquino and Encarnacion 1988]).

SOURCES FOR DISTRIBUTIONS OF SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES

Occurrences and distributions of species in Loreto are compiled primarily from Peters (1937-1979), Blake (1977), Parker et al. (1982), Hilty and Brown (1986), and Ridgely and Tudor (1989, 1994). Distributions of subspecies are compiled from Peters (1937-1979) and Blake (1977) (Zimmer's and Bond's papers have not yet been examined thoroughly). Other sources are mentioned in the NOTES for each species, as explained below.

The political boundaries of the department of Loreto have changed markedly during the past 60 years, as a result of the Prot—colo de Rio de Janeiro and the establishment of the department of Ucayali. I have adjusted informaton from older sources to modern political boundaries.

EXPLANATION OF INFORMATION PRESENTED FOR EACH SPECIES

Each species has 3-5 lines of information.

(1) The first line presents the SCIENTIFIC NAME of the species from Stotz et al. (1996) (and various other sources for migrants). This source provides a comprehensive list of species but incorporates few of the recent proposals for arrangements of families and orders.

(2) The second line presents the ENGLISH NAME from Ridgely and Tudor (1989, 1994), for passerines, or Hilty and Brown (1986), for others; most derive ultimately from Meyer de Schauensee (1966). Each species also has a six-letter ABBREVIATION of its English name: each consists of three letters for the "generic" name followed by three for the "specific" name or names; an asterisk indicates an irregular abbreviation required to avoid conflicts. I use these abbreviations in my field notes for species observed frequently.

(3) The third line consists of four fields. The first three fields present information from Parker et al. (1982) about the status, habitat, and distribution of the species in eastern tropical Peru (not necessarily restricted to lowland Loreto). If Parker et al. do not present information about a species in eastern tropical Peru, these fields are blank.

	STATUS (Parker et al. 1982)
	C = Common
	F = Fairly common
	U = Uncommon
	R = Rare
	? = uncertain 

	HABITAT (Parker et al. 1982)
	T = Terra firme
	V = Varzea ("low-lying forest")
	E = Edge and second growth
	S = Savanna and scrub
	R = Rivers and margins
	L = Lakes and margins
	M = Montane forest (not in lowland Loreto)
	A = Agriculture

	DISTRIBUTION  (Parker et al. 1982)
	N, S, C = Northern, Southern, Central Peru
	W = Western but not eastern Peru
	U = Upper tropical or above (500-1500 m or higher)
	L = Local in distribution
	M = Migrant

LIMITS ON DISTRIBUTION

This field (the last one in the third line) presents information about distribution within lowland Loreto. The principal sources for this information include Blake (1977), Peters et al. (1931-1979), Capparella (1987), and Ridgely and Tudor (1989, 1994); some other sources are mentioned in the NOTES field, as explained below.

	n = only north of R’os Amazonas and Mara–on
	s = only south of R’os Amazonas and Mara–on
	n,s = different subspecies north and south of R’os Amazonas-Mara–on
	i = confined to islands and river edges (Parker et al., Stotz et al.)
	x = occurrence in lowland Loreto not definitely documented
	() indicates uncertainty or some exceptions (explanations in notes)

(4)(5) The fourth and fifth lines provide additional information for some of the species.

SUBSPECIES

If a species has two or more subspecies in Loreto, the fourth line presents the names of the northern and southern (or eastern and western) subspecies, respectively. Other subspecies in western Amazonia (but not in lowland Loreto) are mentioned in the NOTES field. Subspecies outside western Amazonia are usually not mentioned. Furthermore, if a species has only one subspecies throughout western Amazonia, this subspecies is usually not mentioned.

NOTES

For some species, a final line includes brief notes about problems and uncertainties. These notes include alternative scientific or English names and summaries of the distributions of subspecies in western Amazonia.

Abbreviations in the NOTES field include the following:

	CO, EC, PE, BO, BR, AM = Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, 
	lowland Amazonia

	ePE, eEC ... = eastern Peru, eastern Ecuador ...

	wAM = western Amazonia (seCO, eEC, ePE, neBO, nwBR or, in other 
	words, lowland Amazonia west of R’os Negro and Madeira)

	sLoreto = southern Loreto 

	Am = R’o Amazonas in PE or R’os Amazonas-Solim›es throughout wAM

	Solim›es = Rio Solim›es (only when referring specifically to the river in BR)

	Amazonas BR = Terr. Amazonas Brasil

	s/Am, w/Rio Ucayali ... = south of R’o Amazonas, west of R’o Ucayali ...