Itabuna

History

The Portuguese arrived in the 16th century. The region was inhabited by the Tupiniquim, an indigenous group of the larger Tupi people. The Portuguese established the Captaincy of Ilhéus in the region, but it failed due to attacks by the nomadic Aimoré people, who emerged from the interior of Brazil in the 1550s. Settlement began when the region served as the main crossing point for drovers heading to Vitória da Conquista. In the region crossed by the Cachoeira river, Arraial de Tabocas emerged in 1857, in the middle of a forest that had not yet been explored at the time. The name Tabocas, according to the tradition, is due to a huge jequitibá, whose felling had been disputed, being the 'pau da taboca', that is, the swidden that opened. The region was populated by non-native Brazilians from 1867, mainly by migrants from Sergipe. Felix Severino de Oliveira, later known as Félix Severino do Amor Divino, and José Firmino Alves, his cousin, founded Fazenda Marimbeta, a farm, in the municipality. A street remains with the name in the Conceição of Itabuna. Itabuna was emancipated from Ilhéus in 1910. In 1978, the city became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Itabuna.

Most-observed species

• Yellow-rumped Cacique

  Cacicus cela (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  260
• Great Kiskadee

  Pitangus sulphuratus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  228
• Pale-breasted Thrush

  Turdus leucomelas Vieillot, 1818 · Aves
  195
• Rufous-bellied Thrush

  Turdus rufiventris Vieillot, 1818 · Aves
  172
• Palm Tanager

  Thraupis palmarum (Wied-Neuwied, 1821) · Aves
  161
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  150
• Rufous-breasted Hermit

  Glaucis hirsutus (J.F.Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  147
• Bananaquit

  Coereba flaveola (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  141