Pitta gurneyi

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	PASSERIFORMES	PITTIDAE

Scientific Name:

Pitta gurneyi

Species Authority:

Hume, 1875

Common Name/s:

English

–

Gurney's Pitta

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Endangered A3c;B1ab(i,ii,iii,v) ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Mahood, S., Butchart, S., Crosby, M.

Contributor/s:

Eames, J., Donald, P., Htin Hla, T.

Justification:
This beautiful pitta has been downlisted to Endangered, owing to the discovery of a large population in Myanmar. However, its situation remains precarious since it occpies flat, low-lying forest which is targeted for development for oil palm plantations. It has therefore been retained as Endangered, as a precautionary measure owing to an anticipated very rapid population reduction as a result of land clearance.

History:

2005	–	Critically Endangered
2004	–	Critically Endangered
2000	–	Critically Endangered
1996	–	Critically Endangered
1994	–	Critically Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Pitta gurneyi occurs in peninsular Thailand and adjacent southern Tenasserim, Myanmar. Formerly common across much of its range, there were no field observations in Thailand between 1952 and 1986. Since 1986, intensive surveys have found it in at least five localities, although it has disappeared from all but one of these, Khao Nor Chuchi. This population has declined from 44-45 pairs in 1986 to just nine pairs in 1997, most of which are outside protected-area boundaries. A search for it in Myanmar in 2003 was successful and discovered the species at four sites with a maximum of 10-12 pairs at one location^1,2. It was found to be not uncommon at some sites, and on the basis of previously reported population densities and extent of suitable habitat, the population was estimated to be 5,152-8,586 pairs².
Countries:	Native: Myanmar; Thailand
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	In Myanmar, on the basis of previously reported population densities and extent of suitable habitat, the population is estimated to be 5,152-8,586 pairs (Eames et al. 2005), equating to 10,300-17,100 mature individuals.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It occurs in secondary, regenerating, lowland semi-evergreen forest, usually below 160 m in flat areas with slopes less than ten degrees, with understoreys containing Salacca palms, in which it nests. Territories are centred on gulley systems where moist conditions prevail year-round, usually with access to water, and often close to forest edge. It breeds during the wet season, April-October.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The key reason for its decline has been the almost total clearance of lowland forest in southern Myanmar and peninsular Thailand through clear-felling for timber, unofficial logging and conversion to croplands, fruit orchards, coffee, rubber and oil-palm plantations. By 1987, only 20-50 km² of forest below 100 m remained in peninsular Thailand and this area continues to decline. The rate and extent of conversion of flat forest to oil palm plantation in Myanmar in the next ten years is open to speculation, but most land is already assigned to plantation and, were foreign companies to become more involved, it could become very rapid³. An added complication is that future deforestation rates will also be strongly influenced by internal politics in the region and the strength of the insurgency groups⁴. In Thailand at least, snare-line trapping for the cage-bird trade is also a serious threat.

Major Threat(s):

The key reason for its decline has been the almost total clearance of lowland forest in southern Myanmar and peninsular Thailand through clear-felling for timber, unofficial logging and conversion to croplands, fruit orchards, coffee, rubber and oil-palm plantations. By 1987, only 20-50 km² of forest below 100 m remained in peninsular Thailand and this area continues to decline. The rate and extent of conversion of flat forest to oil palm plantation in Myanmar in the next ten years is open to speculation, but most land is already assigned to plantation and, were foreign companies to become more involved, it could become very rapid³. An added complication is that future deforestation rates will also be strongly influenced by internal politics in the region and the strength of the insurgency groups⁴. In Thailand at least, snare-line trapping for the cage-bird trade is also a serious threat.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway CITES Appendix I. Following its rediscovery in Thailand, a series of breeding season censuses were conducted, from 1987-1989, to locate and quantify populations in peninsular Thailand. The most important of these, Khao Nor Chuchi, was designated a Non-Hunting Area in 1987, and upgraded to a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1993. The Khao Nor Chuchi Lowland Forest Project was established in 1990 and engaged the local community in participatory management, education programmes and ecotourism, to help reduce pressure on remaining forest. However, this has met with limited success as economic incentives continue to govern land-use decisions. A project in Myanmar aimed at conserving remaining lowland forest in southern Tenasserim will commence in 2004. There are currently no protected areas in this region¹, but the proposed Lenya National Park would protect a large area of suitable habitat³. Conservation Actions Proposed Monitor population trends through regular surveys at known sites. Monitor rates of habitat loss and degradation within the species's known range. Monitor levels of trapping. Establish and effectively protect Lenya National Park as a matter of urgency. Extend strict protected area status to all remaining suitable habitat currently outside Khao Nor Chuchi Wildlife Sanctuary boundaries. Establish an in situ protection unit with direct responsibility for safeguarding all remaining habitat, to facilitate cooperation with sanctuary officials and strengthen management and community participation.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix I. Following its rediscovery in Thailand, a series of breeding season censuses were conducted, from 1987-1989, to locate and quantify populations in peninsular Thailand. The most important of these, Khao Nor Chuchi, was designated a Non-Hunting Area in 1987, and upgraded to a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1993. The Khao Nor Chuchi Lowland Forest Project was established in 1990 and engaged the local community in participatory management, education programmes and ecotourism, to help reduce pressure on remaining forest. However, this has met with limited success as economic incentives continue to govern land-use decisions. A project in Myanmar aimed at conserving remaining lowland forest in southern Tenasserim will commence in 2004. There are currently no protected areas in this region¹, but the proposed Lenya National Park would protect a large area of suitable habitat³.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Monitor population trends through regular surveys at known sites. Monitor rates of habitat loss and degradation within the species's known range. Monitor levels of trapping. Establish and effectively protect Lenya National Park as a matter of urgency. Extend strict protected area status to all remaining suitable habitat currently outside Khao Nor Chuchi Wildlife Sanctuary boundaries. Establish an in situ protection unit with direct responsibility for safeguarding all remaining habitat, to facilitate cooperation with sanctuary officials and strengthen management and community participation.

Bibliography [top]

	BirdLife International. 2001. Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K. Eames, J.C.; Htin Hla; Leimgruber, P.; Kelly, D.S.; Sein Myo Aung; Moses, S.; U Saw Nyunt Tin. 2005. The rediscovery of Gurney's Pitta Pitta gurneyi in Myanmar and an estimate of its population size based on remaining forest cover. Bird Conservation International 15: 3-26.

BirdLife International. 2001. Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.

Eames, J.C.; Htin Hla; Leimgruber, P.; Kelly, D.S.; Sein Myo Aung; Moses, S.; U Saw Nyunt Tin. 2005. The rediscovery of Gurney's Pitta Pitta gurneyi in Myanmar and an estimate of its population size based on remaining forest cover. Bird Conservation International 15: 3-26.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2008. Pitta gurneyi. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 22 May 2012.
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