Terra do Meio Ecological Station

Terra do Meio Ecological Station
Estação Ecológica da Terra do Meio
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
Terra do Meio Ecological Station
Nearest city	Uruará, Pará
Coordinates	5°05′02″S 53°42′58″W / 5.084°S 53.716°W / -5.084; -53.716Coordinates: 5°05′02″S 53°42′58″W / 5.084°S 53.716°W / -5.084; -53.716
Area	3,373,133.89 hectares (8,335,195.4 acres)
Designation	Ecological station
Created	17 February 2005
Administrator	Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation

Terra do Meio Ecological Station (Portuguese: Estação Ecológica da Terra do Meio) is an ecological station (ESEC) in the state of Pará, Brazil.

The Terra do Meio Ecological Station has an area of 3,373,133.89 hectares (8,335,195.4 acres). It covers parts of the municipalities of Altamira and São Félix do Xingu in the state of Pará. The station covers parts of the lowlands and the residual plateau of the southern Amazon. It lies between the Xingu River and its tributary the Iriri River, which runs through the station from south to north. The Iriri rises in the Serra do Cachimbo and flows for 900 kilometres (560 mi) before joining the Xingu. The rivers vary greatly in volume depending on the season, and in the dry season include waterfalls, rocks and rapids.

The ESEC borders the 445,408 hectares (1,100,630 acres) Serra do Pardo National Park to the southeast. The proposed South Amazon Ecological Corridor would link the ESEC to other protected areas and indigenous territories in the region.

The Terra do Meio Ecological Station is in the Amazon biome. Temperatures range from 19 to 28 °C (66 to 82 °F) with an average of 23 °C (73 °F). Average annual rainfall is 1,855 millimetres (73.0 in). During the dry season from May to November there is elevated risk of natural or man-made fires. Soils are generally poor in nutrients. 76% of the unit is covered by open submontane rainforest with lianas, and 18.4% is covered by open submontane rainforest with emergent canopy. Smaller areas hold dense submontane rainforest with uniform canopy, open submontane rainforest with palm trees and dense alluvial rainforest.

Migratory birds that pass through the ecological station include osprey (Pandion haliaetus), spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularius), purple martin (Progne subis), sand martin (Riparia riparia) and barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). Endemic birds include white-crested guan (Penelope pileata), red-throated piping guan (Pipile cujubi), dark-winged trumpeter (Psophia viridis), blue-necked jacamar (Galbula cyanicollis), rufous-necked puffbird (Malacoptila rufa), red-necked aracari (Pteroglossus bitorquatus), Gould's toucanet (Selenidera gouldii), Sclater's antwren (Myrmotherula sclateri), band-tailed antbird (Hypocnemoides maculicauda), Amazonian antpitta (Hylopezus berlepschi) and Amazonian barred woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptes certhia).