| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | AVES | COLUMBIFORMES | COLUMBIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Gallicolumba stairi | |||
| Species Authority: | (Gray, 1856) | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Red List Category & Criteria: | Vulnerable C2a(i) ver 3.1 | |||||||||
| Year Published: | 2008 | |||||||||
| Assessor/s: | BirdLife International | |||||||||
| Reviewer/s: | Mahood, S., Butchart, S. | |||||||||
| Contributor/s: | Freifeld, H., Kretzschmar, J., Dutson, G., Solek, C. | |||||||||
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Justification: This species has been extirpated throughout much of its range, and the small and fragmented population that remains is suspected to be declining. It therefore qualifies as Vulnerable. |
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| History: |
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| Range Description: | Gallicolumba stairi has a discontinuous and poorly-documented distribution in central Polynesia including Fiji (where it is described as scarce on the four larger islands, but common on some small offshore islands10), Tonga (where a healthy population survives on the isolated and largely undisturbed island of Late1 and also on Fonualei13 and a few smaller islands in Vava`u, and formerly, and perhaps still, on a few islands in the Ha`apai and Nomuka groups), Samoa (where in recent years it has only been seen on the tiny island of Nu`utele (Aleipata)1, including one bird seen in April 19995), American Samoa (where there is a recent sighting in 1993 on the island of Ofu1 and another in 1996 on Olosega7) and on the islands of Wallis and Futuna (to France). In 1995, the only population found in a study on Vava'u was six birds in a large forest remnant on Uta Vava`u, but this area was being logged and the species is therefore unlikely to survive there8. Recent surveys have found this species to be widespread but patchy and at low population densities on the larger Fijian islands, recording an average of 0.11 birds/hour equating to c.1 bird per km2, mostly calling males. The species was recorded at about 50% of the sites surveyed (16/34 sites) which were pre-selected to be the densest old-growth rainforest12. Unlike on Samoa and Tonga, there is no evidence that the species is declining on Fiji faster than the rate of forest loss or degradation which is estimated at 0.5-0.8 % p.a11,12. The species remains very rare in American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga and Wallis and Futuna. |
| Countries: |
Native:
American Samoa; Fiji; Samoa; Tonga; Wallis and Futuna
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| Range Map: | Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. |
| Population: | Recent surveys have found this species to be widespread but patchy and at low population densities on the larger Fijian islands. Surveys recorded an average of 0.11 birds / hour (a total of 54 birds). Estimating an average pace 1 km / hour and an effective detection distance of 50 m each side of the trail suggests that about 1 bird was detected per km2, mostly calling males. There are a number of likely errors in this estimate, especially the number of silent birds overlooked. The species was recorded at about 50% of the sites surveyed (16/34 sites) which were pre-selected to be the densest old-growth rainforest. If it assumed to occur in 50% of the forest, which covers about 40% of the species' Fijian EOO of about 17,500 km2, the total population is estimated to be 2,500-10,000 birds (G. Dutson in litt. 2005; BirdLife International 2006). |
| Population Trend: |
Decreasing
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| Habitat and Ecology: | It is found in both scrubby bush and bamboo thickets on smaller islands and lowland and montane forest on larger ones. It feeds on seeds, fruit, buds, young leaves, snails, insects and caterpillars on the forest floor and in the undergrowth4,9. |
| Systems: | Terrestrial |
| Major Threat(s): | It appears particularly sensitive to disturbance, usually leaving areas with logging or planting activities within days of occurrence, and not re-inhabiting even five years after the cessation of human activity6. The reasons for this may relate to changes in forest characteristics (e.g. leaf-litter, food-resources), structure (e.g. openness) or invasion by ground predators (especially mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus, which are present on both the two larger islands in Fiji)6,14. |
| Conservation Actions: |
Conservation Actions Underway This species occurs in a number of protected areas, including Sovi Basin and Taveuni reserves on Fiji and Aleipata islands on Samoa12. Conservation Actions Proposed Conduct surveys throughout its range to assess its distribution, population numbers and conservation requirements. Consider setting aside an area of protected forest. Assess the feasibility of controlling the mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus. |
| Citation: | BirdLife International 2008. Gallicolumba stairi. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2012. |
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