Tyto soumagnei

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	STRIGIFORMES	TYTONIDAE

Scientific Name:

Tyto soumagnei

Species Authority:

(Milne Edwards, 1878)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Madagascar Grass Owl, Madagascar Red Owl, Red Owl, Soumagne's Owl
French	–	Chouette effraie jaune, Effraie de Soumagne, Effraie rousse de Madagascar
Spanish	–	Lechuza de Madagascar, Lechuza Malgache

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable C2a(i) ver 3.1

Year Published:

2009

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

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

Contributor/s:

Hawkins, F., Mitchell, S., Thorstrom, R., Réné De Roland, L., Deliry, C., Safford, R.

Justification:
This species has been downlisted to Vulnerable as recent range extensions mean its population is now thought to be larger than was previously believed, however its population is still presumed to be small and declining owing to the destruction and severe fragmentation of its rainforest habitat.

History:

2008	–	Endangered
2004	–	Endangered
2000	–	Endangered
1996	–	Endangered
1994	–	Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	There are records of Tyto soumagnei from the eastern rainforest of Madagascar, formerly known from between Amber Mountain in the far north to Mantadia National Park in the centre-east, in particular. Significantly, a further site (Kalambatritra) for the species was recently located 500 km further south of its previously known range⁷. More recently, the species was found in the extreme south-east of Madagascar, in the lowlands of Tsitongambarika, extending its presumed range considerably^10,11. It is probably present in all suitably large blocks of humid evergreen forest in the east and north of Madagascar, but its nocturnal habits make it difficult to detect. Future surveys may reveal it to be less rare than currently thought^3,6.
Countries:	Native: Madagascar
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	A conservative estimate of primary rainforest cover in Madagascar is c.40,000 km² (Harper et al. 2007) so even at 0.1 individuals/km² a low population estimate would be 4,000 individuals (F. Hawkins in litt. 2009).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	The species occurs in and adjacent to humid evergreen forest³from sea level to 2000 m⁶, but has also been recorded in an area dominated by dry deciduous forest^9,12. It hunts at night in somewhat open areas in or near primary forest, perching in trees at the forest edge. Although formerly believed to occur only in undisturbed rainforest², it has been recorded in degraded/secondary forest-edge vegetation and also hunts over open, human-altered habitat adjacent to forest, including rice-paddies and slash-and-burn cultivation^4,5, and it may require both forest and open areas (and so may be absent from large areas of forest interior)¹³. In Masoala it ranged over 210 ha⁵. Its diet is predominantly small native mammals, in contrast to T. alba which feeds mostly on introduced rat Rattus species¹ outside primary forest. Tsingy tufted-tailed rats Eliurus antsingy constituted almost 50% of total prey mass of birds in dry forest at Ankarana (northern Madagascar), and birds here also consumed insects, frogs and geckos¹². Birds have been recorded roosting on rock ledges and in cave entrances^9,12. The first nest recorded by scientists was found in September 1995, 23 m above ground, in a natural tree-cavity in an isolated native tree Weinmannia, 500 m from the edge of the main forest block⁴. Clutch-size was probably two (two young successfully fledged)⁴. The species may have been overlooked previously for three reasons: a) it is reclusive and strictly nocturnal; b) it is mistaken for Tyto alba; and c) it occurs patchily and at low densities^7,10.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

The species occurs in and adjacent to humid evergreen forest³from sea level to 2000 m⁶, but has also been recorded in an area dominated by dry deciduous forest^9,12. It hunts at night in somewhat open areas in or near primary forest, perching in trees at the forest edge. Although formerly believed to occur only in undisturbed rainforest², it has been recorded in degraded/secondary forest-edge vegetation and also hunts over open, human-altered habitat adjacent to forest, including rice-paddies and slash-and-burn cultivation^4,5, and it may require both forest and open areas (and so may be absent from large areas of forest interior)¹³. In Masoala it ranged over 210 ha⁵. Its diet is predominantly small native mammals, in contrast to T. alba which feeds mostly on introduced rat Rattus species¹ outside primary forest. Tsingy tufted-tailed rats Eliurus antsingy constituted almost 50% of total prey mass of birds in dry forest at Ankarana (northern Madagascar), and birds here also consumed insects, frogs and geckos¹². Birds have been recorded roosting on rock ledges and in cave entrances^9,12. The first nest recorded by scientists was found in September 1995, 23 m above ground, in a natural tree-cavity in an isolated native tree Weinmannia, 500 m from the edge of the main forest block⁴. Clutch-size was probably two (two young successfully fledged)⁴. The species may have been overlooked previously for three reasons: a) it is reclusive and strictly nocturnal; b) it is mistaken for Tyto alba; and c) it occurs patchily and at low densities^7,10.

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Deforestation, mainly for subsistence slash-and-burn cultivation but also for commercial logging, continues to destroy the species's main evergreen forest habitat. Uncontrolled use of fire, often as a result of poor farming practices, is also a major cause of deforestation. Much of the eastern coastal plain has either already been cleared or is covered by highly degraded forest, remaining habitat is under pressure from the increasing human population⁸.

Major Threat(s):

Deforestation, mainly for subsistence slash-and-burn cultivation but also for commercial logging, continues to destroy the species's main evergreen forest habitat. Uncontrolled use of fire, often as a result of poor farming practices, is also a major cause of deforestation. Much of the eastern coastal plain has either already been cleared or is covered by highly degraded forest, remaining habitat is under pressure from the increasing human population⁸.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway CITES Appendix I and II. Six sites where it has been recently recorded are all Important Bird Areas, and include several protected areas - Mantadia National Park, Marotandrano Special Reserve, Masoala National Park, Montagne d'Ambre National Park, Tsaratanana Strict Reserve and Zahamena National Park - where it probably occurs at low density⁶. Conservation Actions Proposed Establish presence or absence at rainforest sites to the south of Mantadia, especially in Midongy-South, Ranomafana, Andringitra and Andohahela National Parks. Determine its habitat requirements for breeding and foraging, to clarify its population size. Increase the area of suitable habitat that has protected status.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix I and II. Six sites where it has been recently recorded are all Important Bird Areas, and include several protected areas - Mantadia National Park, Marotandrano Special Reserve, Masoala National Park, Montagne d'Ambre National Park, Tsaratanana Strict Reserve and Zahamena National Park - where it probably occurs at low density⁶.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Establish presence or absence at rainforest sites to the south of Mantadia, especially in Midongy-South, Ranomafana, Andringitra and Andohahela National Parks. Determine its habitat requirements for breeding and foraging, to clarify its population size. Increase the area of suitable habitat that has protected status.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Tyto soumagnei. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 May 2012.
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