| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | AVES | PASSERIFORMES | FRINGILLIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Vestiaria coccinea | |||
| Species Authority: | (Forster, 1780) | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Red List Category & Criteria: | Vulnerable B1ab(i,ii,iii,v) ver 3.1 | |||
| Year Assessed: | 2008 | |||
| Assessor/s: | BirdLife International | |||
| Reviewer/s: | Mahood, S., Taylor, J., Butchart, S. | |||
| Contributor/s: | Donaldson, P., Pratt, H., Camp, R., Roberts, P., Lepson, J., Fretz, J., VanderWerf, E. | |||
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Justification: This species has been uplisted to Vulnerable because, although it is still relatively abundant, surveys have shown that it is undergoing a continuing population decline and range contraction. |
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| History: |
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| Range Description: | Vestiaria coccinea formerly occurred on all the main islands in the Hawaiian Archipelago (USA) but it is now extinct on Lana'i and relict populations (probably fewer than 50 individuals4) remain on O`ahu and Moloka`i2,5. Recent population estimates are: c.385,000 individuals, excluding birds on O`ahu, during 1976-19835 and more than 350,000 individuals in the early 1990s following recent declines in several populations3. There is now evidence from monitoring (much of it unpublished) that the species has declined throughout the Hawaiian islands, except on windward Mau`i and at Hakalau, Hawai`i, where the populations appear to be stable8. The numbers of individuals detected during monitoring have fallen at both mid and low elevations8. The apparent decline appears to have been most pronounced in western Hawai`i, although there is little quantitative data for this area8. |
| Countries: |
Native:
United States
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| Range Map: | Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. |
| Population: | An estimate of more than 350,000 individuals was made in the early 1990s (Jacobi and Atikinson 1995). |
| Population Trend: |
Decreasing
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| Habitat and Ecology: | This species was formerly found in forests at any elevation, and still occurs in a variety of native, disturbed and unnatural habitats from 300 to 2,900 m1,5. The greatest densities are found at 1,300-1,900 m, and low elevation populations may be sustained primarily by dispersal from mid-elevation populations5. |
| Systems: | Terrestrial |
| Major Threat(s): | The exact causes for the decline are uncertain, although it is known that the species is very susceptible to avian malaria, carried at low elevations by introduced mosquitos3,8. Other factors which are likely to be contributing to its decline include habitat degradation and predation by introduced mammals such as cattle, pigs, cats and rats. |
| Conservation Actions: |
Conservation Actions Underway The species is the subject of population trend analysis and detailed studies into the effects of avian malaria by the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Centre. Conservation Actions Proposed Complete assessment of current population trends. Study the factors driving the decline. Atempt to mitigate against the decline. |
| Citation: | BirdLife International 2008. Vestiaria coccinea. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2012. |
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