Agriornis albicauda

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	PASSERIFORMES	TYRANNIDAE

Scientific Name:

Agriornis albicauda

Species Authority:

Sclater, 1860

Common Name/s:

English

–

White-tailed Shrike-tyrant, White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable C2a(i) ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Symes, A., Butchart, S.

Contributor/s:

Simpson, N., Knapton, B., Povedano, H., Ugarte-Lewis, M., Geale, D., Schulenberg, T., Fjeldså, J.

Justification:
This species qualifies as Vulnerable because it is assumed to have a small population, which is fragmented and likely to be declining. However, further surveys may find the species at additional locations which, given its extensive range and apparent degree of habitat tolerance, could result in a downlisting to Near Threatened or Least Concern.

History:

2006	–	Vulnerable
2004	–	Vulnerable
2000	–	Vulnerable
1996	–	Vulnerable
1994	–	Vulnerable

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Agriornis albicauda occurs in the high Andes from Ecuador to northern Chile and Argentina, but the population is small and probably declining. Subspecies andicola occurs in Ecuador (Imbabura, Pichincha, Napo, Chimborazo, Cañar, Zamora-Chinchipe and Loja provinces), and was found at four new sites in 1995-1999^6,9,11,15. The nominate subspecies albicauda occurs in Peru (Cajamarca, La Libertad, Huánuco, Ancash, Pasco, Cuzco, Lima, Arequipa and Ayacucho, with 16 records since 1952^{3,15,18,19,20}), Bolivia (La Paz in 1941, Oruro in 1967 and 1991, Potosí in 1967, Chusquisaca in 1991⁵ and Cochabamba in 1997⁷), north Chile (Tarapacá and Antofagasta, with recent records from the precordillera and altiplanos of Arica^8,9), and north-west Argentina, (Sierra de Aconquija, Tucumán, with one record from Catamarca in 1918^1,2,12).
Countries:	Native: Argentina; Bolivia; Chile; Ecuador; Peru
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	This species is poorly known. It appears to be very rare to rare and very local throughout its range (Ridgely and Tudor 1994, Ridgely and Greenfield 2001). Collar et al. (1992) described it as "exceedingly rare". Given this, the total population is estimated to fall below 10,000 individuals, despite its large range. Further information is required to validate this however.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It was thought to exclusively inhabit the páramo and puna zones, high above the treeline at 3,500-4,300 m. However, in south Ecuador, it has been found in semi-arid, bushy country, especially in areas with large Puyas, at 2,400-3,100 m ¹¹. It favours open areas with sparse vegetation and scattered rocks, particularly near old buildings and walls^13,16, and has been recorded from rocky Polylepis groves¹⁶. There are two records from open farmland with hedgerows and introduced Eucalyptus trees^11,15, one from agricultural land (crops and pasture) with introduced pine trees²⁰, and one from cactus scrub with Eucalyptus¹⁷.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

It was thought to exclusively inhabit the páramo and puna zones, high above the treeline at 3,500-4,300 m. However, in south Ecuador, it has been found in semi-arid, bushy country, especially in areas with large Puyas, at 2,400-3,100 m ¹¹. It favours open areas with sparse vegetation and scattered rocks, particularly near old buildings and walls^13,16, and has been recorded from rocky Polylepis groves¹⁶. There are two records from open farmland with hedgerows and introduced Eucalyptus trees^11,15, one from agricultural land (crops and pasture) with introduced pine trees²⁰, and one from cactus scrub with Eucalyptus¹⁷.

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The reasons for this species's scarcity are unclear. Open (albeit modified) grassland habitats have been expanding for centuries owing to burning and grazing^4,10,14. It may historically have been out-competed by A. montana (and this may continue¹⁷), although the two have co-existed for at least a million years¹⁴, or it could be unusually predator-prone¹¹. However, such threats provide unlikely explanations for the species's rarity.

Major Threat(s):

The reasons for this species's scarcity are unclear. Open (albeit modified) grassland habitats have been expanding for centuries owing to burning and grazing^4,10,14. It may historically have been out-competed by A. montana (and this may continue¹⁷), although the two have co-existed for at least a million years¹⁴, or it could be unusually predator-prone¹¹. However, such threats provide unlikely explanations for the species's rarity.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway There are recent records from Huascarán National Park, Peru, and Lauca National Park, Chile. Conservation Actions Proposed Monitor known populations. Survey to identify additional populations. Study the ecology to establish threats, perhaps at Lauca, Chile, or in Azuay and Loja, Ecuador.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
There are recent records from Huascarán National Park, Peru, and Lauca National Park, Chile.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Monitor known populations. Survey to identify additional populations. Study the ecology to establish threats, perhaps at Lauca, Chile, or in Azuay and Loja, Ecuador.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2008. Agriornis albicauda. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2012.
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