Aceros waldeni

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	CORACIIFORMES	BUCEROTIDAE

Scientific Name:

Aceros waldeni

Species Authority:

(Sharpe, 1877)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Rufous-headed Hornbill, Walden's Hornbill, Writhed-billed Hornbill

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Critically Endangered A2cd ver 3.1

Year Published:

2009

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Symes, A., Butchart, S., Bird, J.

Contributor/s:

Curio, E., Lastimoza, L., Oliver, W.

Justification:
The remaining population of this species is extremely small and severely fragmented. A combination of extensive loss of low to mid-altitude forest and hunting have resulted in an extremely rapid population decline, although effective conservation measures on Panay offer hope that declines can be stopped. Nevertheless it remains listed as Critically Endangered.

History:

2008	–	Critically Endangered
2006	–	Critically Endangered
2004	–	Critically Endangered
2000	–	Critically Endangered
1996	–	Critically Endangered
1994	–	Critically Endangered
1988	–	Not Recognized

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Aceros waldeni is endemic to the Western Visayas in the Philippines, where it is presumed to have occured on three islands: Guimaras, Negros and Panay. It is now absent from Guimaras and survives only on Negros and Panay. By 2006, the population in the Central Panay Mountain Range (CPMR) had been found by PhilConserve (formerly PESCP) to contain 502 breeding pairs⁵, with 752 active nest holes located in 2007⁵. There have been no breeding records since 1997 (one pair) in the north-west Panay Peninsula where, however, no systematic search has been conducted. Due to the small size of the remaining forest in the peninsula (c.5,000 ha) any breeding there may have been sporadic and it has since almost certainly been extirpated, despite pro-active anti-poaching and other forest wardening activities orchestrated by local support groups¹. The species may be functionally extinct on Negros with no figures being available⁵.
Countries:	Native: Philippines
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	752 active nest holes in Central Panayan Mountain Range in 2007 (E. Curio in litt. 2008).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It inhabits closed-canopy forests, also frequenting logged areas and occasionally isolated trees in clearings. It is probably adapted to lower or mid-elevation forest, with records from 400-1,200 m on Panay and 300-950 m on Negros. It is omnivorous, taking some animal matter to its nests³ and feeding in the canopy on figs and other fruits. It may make local nomadic movements in response to food availability. It nests in large trees.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

It inhabits closed-canopy forests, also frequenting logged areas and occasionally isolated trees in clearings. It is probably adapted to lower or mid-elevation forest, with records from 400-1,200 m on Panay and 300-950 m on Negros. It is omnivorous, taking some animal matter to its nests³ and feeding in the canopy on figs and other fruits. It may make local nomadic movements in response to food availability. It nests in large trees.

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Chronic deforestation has led to its extinction on Guimaras and its extreme scarcity elsewhere. An estimated 4% of Negros and 8% of Panay remained forested in 1988, although this has reportedly since been reduced to c.3% and c.6%, respectively¹. Only 10% (c.110 km²) of this is thought to be below 1,000 m. It heavily utilises (at least temporally) forest fruits and thus is adversely affected by deforestation. Hunting has reportedly had severe impacts in the past, with one estimate up to a quarter of the (then estimated) population of north-west Panay shot in a single day in 1997, although the validity of this report is uncertain. Nest poaching, whether for sale of incumbent females and their dependant chicks for human consumption or into local bird trade, is the most serious threat. Poaching affected c.50% of broods before the implementation of a nest guarding scheme which now protects about two thirds of all broods in the Central Panay Mountain Range, but until the nest guarding scheme can be expanded the remaining third are still vulnerable^1,5.

Major Threat(s):

Chronic deforestation has led to its extinction on Guimaras and its extreme scarcity elsewhere. An estimated 4% of Negros and 8% of Panay remained forested in 1988, although this has reportedly since been reduced to c.3% and c.6%, respectively¹. Only 10% (c.110 km²) of this is thought to be below 1,000 m. It heavily utilises (at least temporally) forest fruits and thus is adversely affected by deforestation. Hunting has reportedly had severe impacts in the past, with one estimate up to a quarter of the (then estimated) population of north-west Panay shot in a single day in 1997, although the validity of this report is uncertain. Nest poaching, whether for sale of incumbent females and their dependant chicks for human consumption or into local bird trade, is the most serious threat. Poaching affected c.50% of broods before the implementation of a nest guarding scheme which now protects about two thirds of all broods in the Central Panay Mountain Range, but until the nest guarding scheme can be expanded the remaining third are still vulnerable^1,5.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway CITES Appendix II. Mt Talinis, designated for protection, is being managed as a geothermal reserve, and The Twin Lakes Balinsasayao Natural Park benefits from conservation funding. Other sites with recent records include Mt Kanla-on Natural Park (Negros) and Northern Negros Natural Park, which receives nominal protection. There are public awareness campaigns about the species. A nest-guarding scheme by PhilConserve led to a reduction of nest poaching by 95% on Panay⁴ and that population can be stabilised at its current size if inroads into the forest by small-scale logging can be stopped⁵. The fledging of nearly 500 broods of 1-3 young each in the Central Panay Mountain Range was the consequence of this nest-protection scheme⁴, and the aim is to expand nest protection into more southerly parts of the CPMR⁵. Confiscated hornbills have been rehabilitated and released by PESCP/PhilConserve⁵, and successful captive breeding has taken place at the Mari-it Wildlife Conservation Park since 2005, with seven breeding pairs in 2008⁶. Livelihood incentives such as carabao (work animals) are being given to hunters to establish permanent agricultural plots instead of shifting cultivation. Seedlings of fruit trees, basic farm tools, rice seeds and informal training are given to hunters by the Mari-it Wildlife Conservation Park to encourage them to take up alternative livelihoods⁶. Conservation Actions Proposed Funds should be allocated primarily to in situ protection along the lines of PhilConserve's guarding scheme⁵. Disseminate and act upon results from recent island-wide surveys on Panay and Negros. Continue community awareness programmes to reduce hunting and illegal logging on both Panay and Negros. Work in partnership at government level to strengthen protected area legislation and improve the network in the long term.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix II. Mt Talinis, designated for protection, is being managed as a geothermal reserve, and The Twin Lakes Balinsasayao Natural Park benefits from conservation funding. Other sites with recent records include Mt Kanla-on Natural Park (Negros) and Northern Negros Natural Park, which receives nominal protection. There are public awareness campaigns about the species. A nest-guarding scheme by PhilConserve led to a reduction of nest poaching by 95% on Panay⁴ and that population can be stabilised at its current size if inroads into the forest by small-scale logging can be stopped⁵. The fledging of nearly 500 broods of 1-3 young each in the Central Panay Mountain Range was the consequence of this nest-protection scheme⁴, and the aim is to expand nest protection into more southerly parts of the CPMR⁵. Confiscated hornbills have been rehabilitated and released by PESCP/PhilConserve⁵, and successful captive breeding has taken place at the Mari-it Wildlife Conservation Park since 2005, with seven breeding pairs in 2008⁶. Livelihood incentives such as carabao (work animals) are being given to hunters to establish permanent agricultural plots instead of shifting cultivation. Seedlings of fruit trees, basic farm tools, rice seeds and informal training are given to hunters by the Mari-it Wildlife Conservation Park to encourage them to take up alternative livelihoods⁶.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Funds should be allocated primarily to in situ protection along the lines of PhilConserve's guarding scheme⁵. Disseminate and act upon results from recent island-wide surveys on Panay and Negros. Continue community awareness programmes to reduce hunting and illegal logging on both Panay and Negros. Work in partnership at government level to strengthen protected area legislation and improve the network in the long term.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Aceros waldeni. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2012.
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