Aves, Cardinalidae, Piranga flava (Vieillot, 1822): filling gaps by means of historical and recent records in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil

The Hepatic Tanager Piranga flava (Vieillot, 1822) is considered rare in southern Brazil and its occurrence in southeastern Rio Grande do Sul is controversial. Here, our aims were to investigate and compile the historical and recent evidences of the species in this region by consulting museums, literature and providing documented recent records. We confirmed the origins of two old specimens and provided nineteen recent records obtained in five sites between 2008 and 2010. Our results show that Piranga flava occurs in southeastern of Rio Grande do Sul since the late 1800s and currently may be found all year long in this region.