| Bianca Luiza Reinert | |
| Birth Date: | c. 1966 |
| Death Date: | 10 September 2018 |
| Burial Place: | Curitiba |
| Nationality: | Brazilian |
| Alma Mater: | Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná Federal University of Paraná Rio de Janeiro State University |
| Occupation: | Biologist, ornithologist |
Bianca Luiza Reinert (c. 1966 – 10 September 2018) was a Brazilian biologist and ornithologist.[1] [2] She was one of a group of ornithologists who discovered a previously undocumented species of swamp bird, Formicivora acutirostris. She also worked to create a nature reserve to preserve its habitat.[3]
Reinert held a degree in Biological Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, a master's degree in Forestry Sciences from the Federal University of Paraná, and a Ph.D. in Zoology from Rio de Janeiro State University.
Reinert was a researcher at the Natural History Museum in Curitiba.[4] In 1995, she was working on the Parana coast with colleagues Dante Teixeira and Marcos Bonrnschien when they discovered an undocumented bird. On examination, the group decided it was a new genus as well as a new species: Stymphalornis acutirostris.[5] The taboa swamp that the bird lived in was being encroached on by human activities, so in 2008 Reinert and others formed an organisation to create a nature reserve in nearby Guaratuba.[6] In 2009, Reinert and four others purchased land in Guaratuba and had it designated as a Private Natural Heritage Reserve (Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural).[7] In 2015, a species of toad found in Brazil, Melanophryniscus biancae, was named in her honor due to her conservation efforts.[8]
Reinert collaborated with poet, Adélia Maria Woellner, and illustrator, Kitty Harvill to produce a picture book, A descoberta do Bicudinho-do-Brejo, which is about S. acutirostris and was released in July 2018.[9] Reinert invited Woellner to work with her on the book in order to increase the public's knowledge of S. acutirostris.[10]
Reinert died after a battle with cancer and was buried in Curitiba. She was 52 years old.[12]