Ornithology collections as a source of knowledge for understanding the taxonomy of Cichlocolaptes and Heliobletus and for developing museomics in Brazil.

• Grant number: 25/03305-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: August 29, 2025
• End date: November 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Luís Fábio Silveira
• Grantee: Ruan Vieira Vaz
• Supervisor: Brian Tilston Smith
• Host Institution: Museu de Zoologia (MZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: American Museum of Natural History, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/11086-5 - Can common biogeographic patterns and processes explain the taxonomy of Cichlocolaptes and Heliobletus (Aves: Furnariidae), two genera endemic to the Atlantic Forest?, BP.MS

Abstract

The integrated morphological, bioacoustic, and molecular data analysis has significantly advanced avian taxonomy. Natural history collections continue to play a central role in this field, as a source of phenotypic trait data and genetic information through museomics. We are conducting an integrative taxonomic review of two genera of Furnariidae endemic to one of the most threatened biodiversity hotspots in the world, the Atlantic Forest. This internship project aims to increase the size and geographic representativeness of the morphological and molecular data sets. The Ornithological Collection of the American Museum of Natural History is one of the largest and most important in the world. It houses the largest set of skins of these genera outside of Brazil. The Institution is also a reference in the field of museomics, and the student will be trained in extracting and sequencing historical DNA from museum specimens during the internship. Time will also be dedicated to promoting interaction between the student and leading researchers in the field and to discussing the research results.