Along the Ucayali River, Peru Photograph by Colby Loucks   Eastern South America: Central Peru Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   44,400 square miles (114,900 square kilometers) -- about the size of Pennsylvania Vulnerable

· From the Andes to the Amazon
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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From the Andes to the Amazon

Located at the foot of the Andes Mountains and including a major branch of the Amazon River, this ecoregion is the perfect blend of the Andes and the Amazon ecosystems. Here, high mountains rise in the west and runoff from them feeds abundant rivers and streams that become the upper Amazon basin. The region has high species diversity, especially among palms, and contains a number of tropical hardwood species such as mahogany, tropical cedar, and kapok. More than 600 bird species have been recorded here, as have some 188 mammals. Invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles are also abundant and diverse.

Special Features

This moist forest ecoregion is located entirely in Peru and includes the basin west of the Ucayali River, a major branch of the Amazon River. The Cordillera Occidental, or Eastern Mountain Chain, runs the length of this region. Rainfall varies from 60 to 100 inches (1600 to 2500 mm) each ear, and elevations range between 650 and 3,600 feet (200 to 1100 m) above sea level. The region is more seasonal and less diverse than neighboring Amazonian regions. However, these moist evergreen tropical rainforests have a high diversity of tree species, with canopies reaching 130 feet (40 m), and with emergent trees reaching up to 164 feet (50 m) in height. Along the rivers some areas are dominated by palms and swamp forests, with unique plant communities.

	The rufous potoo is one of five species of living potoos, nocturnal birds that make short flights to catch flying insects. Potoos are named for their wailing cries, which sound like "po-TOO."

Wild Side

A snapping twig on the forest floor alerts a troop of an endemic species of titi monkeys to the presence of a jaguar--and they sound a warning cry for all to hear. These small agile monkeys are hard to catch, so the jaguar moves on in search of other game, such as collared peccaries and red-brocket deer. From a small tree hollow, a young golden-collared toucanet pokes its large beak out as its mother flies over with a small fruit to offer her chick. As night falls, many species head for cover, while many others are just waking up. A three-toed sloth finds a comfortable branch to sleep on, while the nocturnal two-toed sloth begins its arduous crawl to a safe cecropia tree to eat some leaves. A slatey-backed forest falcon finds a safe refuge just as darkness arrives, while a ferruginous pygmy-owl opens its bright yellow eyes. A rufous potoo goes unnoticed as it rests on the end of a dead tree limb, its brown mottled feathers exactly matching the bark.

Cause for Concern

The Ucayali moist forests are fairly intact, with some small- to medium-scale cattle pasture and agricultural farms etching out clearings from the forest. The most severe threats are road construction and colonization, forest conversion to cattle pastures and farms, and forest exploitation and illegal logging.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.