Gallicolumba menagei

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	COLUMBIFORMES	COLUMBIDAE

Scientific Name:

Gallicolumba menagei

Species Authority:

(Bourns & Worcester, 1894)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Sulu Bleeding-heart, Tawitawi Bleeding-heart

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Critically Endangered C2a(i,ii);D ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2011

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Symes, A., Butchart, S.

Contributor/s:

Allen, D., Rumsey, S.

Justification:
This species has not been recorded with certainty since two specimens taken in 1891, and it may have declined severely through extensive logging and habitat destruction, compounded by hunting and trapping. However, it is perhaps unlikely to have gone extinct as there were local reports from a number of islands in 1995, and claims that it was quite abundant until the 1970s. Although disappearing fast, some habitat still remains. Any remaining population is likely to be tiny, and for these reasons it is treated as Critically Endangered.

History:

2010	–	Critically Endangered
2009	–	Critically Endangered
2008	–	Critically Endangered
2004	–	Critically Endangered
2000	–	Critically Endangered
1996	–	Critically Endangered
1994	–	Critically Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is endemic to the Sulu archipelago in the Philippines. It is known by just two specimens taken on Tawitawi in 1891, when it was described as extremely rare. The only evidence of its continued existence derives from unconfirmed local reports in 1995. Local reports claim that it was quite abundant before the 1970s, but had declined dramatically and is now only rarely seen. Visits to Tawitawi in February and June 2009 did not produce any records of the species⁴. Despite apparently being well-forested with secondary regrowth, Tandubatu, Dundangan and Baliungan have a total area of 17 km², and are thought unlikely to support viable populations.
Countries:	Native: Philippines
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The population is assumed to be tiny based on assessment of local reports and area of remaining habitat which concluded that the population "must be extremely small and on the verge of extinction" (BirdLife International 2001). It is reliably known from just two specimens collected in 1891; there have been no confirmed records since and repeated surveys in the 1990s failed to find any direct evidence of the species.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Population:

The population is assumed to be tiny based on assessment of local reports and area of remaining habitat which concluded that the population "must be extremely small and on the verge of extinction" (BirdLife International 2001). It is reliably known from just two specimens collected in 1891; there have been no confirmed records since and repeated surveys in the 1990s failed to find any direct evidence of the species.

Population Trend:

Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It might be a small-island specialist; alternatively the prevalence of reports from small islands may be because they retain substantial forest cover and are the last remaining refuges for the species. The species may survive in logged forest, although its close relative G. keayi apparently prefers primary forest².
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	In 1994, remaining primary forest on Tawitawi was being rapidly cleared and the areas of forest left were highly degraded and recently logged. In 1996, there were plans to replace even these with oil-palm plantations, but in 2006 some forest tracts reportedly remained. Logging of the few remaining tracts, now confined to rugged, mountainous areas, is likely to be followed by uncontrolled settlement and conversion to agriculture. Small-scale logging operations occur on Tandubatu, Dundangan and Baliungan. Hunting and trapping may have caused a substantial decrease during martial law in the 1970s.

Major Threat(s):

In 1994, remaining primary forest on Tawitawi was being rapidly cleared and the areas of forest left were highly degraded and recently logged. In 1996, there were plans to replace even these with oil-palm plantations, but in 2006 some forest tracts reportedly remained. Logging of the few remaining tracts, now confined to rugged, mountainous areas, is likely to be followed by uncontrolled settlement and conversion to agriculture. Small-scale logging operations occur on Tandubatu, Dundangan and Baliungan. Hunting and trapping may have caused a substantial decrease during martial law in the 1970s.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway Military activity and insurgency continue to present a serious obstacle to general conservation activity in the Sulus. There are no protected areas in the archipelago. A proposal exists to provide conservation funding for the Tawitawi/Sulu Coastal Area, although neither the outcome nor the likely benefits to the species are known. In 1997, a public awareness campaign focusing on the conservation of terrestrial biodiversity on Tawitawi was initiated. In the mid-1990s, the species featured on a bilingual environmental awareness poster in the "Only in the Philippines" series. Conservation Actions Proposed Conduct intensive surveys of all remaining forest tracts on Tawitawi and nearby islands to establish whether the species is still extant. Urgently propose any sites found to support the species for strict protection. Incorporate protective measures relevant to this species within conservation funding proposals for the Tawitawi/Sulu Coastal Area, as and where appropriate.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
Military activity and insurgency continue to present a serious obstacle to general conservation activity in the Sulus. There are no protected areas in the archipelago. A proposal exists to provide conservation funding for the Tawitawi/Sulu Coastal Area, although neither the outcome nor the likely benefits to the species are known. In 1997, a public awareness campaign focusing on the conservation of terrestrial biodiversity on Tawitawi was initiated. In the mid-1990s, the species featured on a bilingual environmental awareness poster in the "Only in the Philippines" series.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Conduct intensive surveys of all remaining forest tracts on Tawitawi and nearby islands to establish whether the species is still extant. Urgently propose any sites found to support the species for strict protection. Incorporate protective measures relevant to this species within conservation funding proposals for the Tawitawi/Sulu Coastal Area, as and where appropriate.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2011. Gallicolumba menagei. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2012.
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