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Carduelis yarrellii

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA AVES PASSERIFORMES FRINGILLIDAE

Scientific Name: Carduelis yarrellii
Species Authority: (Audubon, 1839)
Common Name/s:
English – Yellow-faced Siskin
Spanish – Jilguero Cara Amarilla, Jilguero de Yarrell, Lúgano de Yarrell

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Vulnerable A2d ver 3.1
Year Published: 2012
Assessor/s: BirdLife International
Reviewer/s: Butchart, S. & Symes, A.
Contributor/s: Aline Roda, S., Davis, B., Restall, R. & Sharpe, C J, Whittaker, A.
Justification:
Widespread and illegal trade is apparently resulting in a rapid population reduction, qualifying this species as Vulnerable (Collar et al. 1992).

History:
2008 – Vulnerable
2004 – Vulnerable
2000 – Vulnerable
1996 – Vulnerable
1994 – Vulnerable

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: Carduelis yarrellii is known from two widely disjunct regions 3,500 km apart in north Venezuela and north-east Brazil. In Brazil, remaining populations appear to be concentrated in Alagoas, with recent records from Pedra Talhada, Murici and Usina Laginha. There are recent records from more than 20 sites in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (S. Aline Roda in litt. 2007), including Saltinho, Sierra Grande Caramarigbe, Bitury, Caetes, Caruaru, Ibimirim and Serra Negra in Pernambuco, Serra da Capivara in Piauí (Olmos 1993), and near Jeremoabo in Bahia. There have been no records from Ceará or Paraíba since 1958 and 1957, respectively. It was considered locally common in Pernambuco and Alagoas, but rare elsewhere, in the 1980s. There are just two recent records from Pernambuco (S. Aline Roda et al. 2003), one of which may have involved individuals released after confiscation by inspectors of the illegal animal trade. Very few birds observed were at Murici in 1996-1999 (A. Whittaker in litt. 1999). This suggests a sharp decline in range and numbers. The population in Venezuela is confined to two sites in south-east Carabobo (Rojas-Suárez and Sharpe 2008) and is likely derived from escaped cagebirds (Ridgely and Tudor 1989, C. J. Sharpe in litt. 2011); indeed, several other exotic cagebird species have become established as feral populations in the same area (e.g. Sharpe et al. 1997). There are additional unverified reports from Carabobo (R. Restall in litt. 2000) and from Monagas and southern Bolívar states (Rojas-Suárez and Sharpe 2008).

Countries:
Native:
Brazil; Venezuela
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population: The population size is preliminarily estimated to fall into the band 10,000-19,999 individuals. This equates to 6,667-13,333 mature individuals, rounded here to 6,000-15,000 mature individuals.
Population Trend: Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: It has been found in caatinga, forest edge, second growth, plantations, croplands and even large urban centres at elevations below 550 m. Very little is known of its ecology but it may, like its congener the Red Siskin C. cucullatus, need to utilise forest seasonally or even daily. In Saltinho, nests were found in exotic pine Pinus spp. trees (S. Aline Roda in litt. 2007).

Systems: Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): It suffers from high volume, illegal trade on both national and international markets. In the 1980s, up to 700 birds were seen at the Fortaleza bird market, and 60-100 appeared seasonally at the Caxias market in Rio de Janeiro. It may also be threatened by pesticide applications (Rodríguez and Rojas-Suárez 1995, Rojas-Suárez and Sharpe 2008).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix II and legally protected in Brazil and Venezuela. In Brazil, it has been recorded in Pedra Talhada, Serra Negra and Saltinho Biological Reserves, Serra da Capivara National Park and Tapacurá Ecological Station.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Survey to determine its current range, abundance and ecological requirements, especially in Alagoas and Pernambuco. Determine its current status in Venezuela (Rodríguez and Rojas-Suárez 1995, Rojas-Suárez and Sharpe 2008). Investigate the impact of pesticides on food availability and condition of the birds (Rodríguez and Rojas-Suárez 1995, Rojas-Suárez and Sharpe 2008). Designate Murici as a biological reserve and ensure its de facto protection. Enforce legal measures on trapping and trade.

Citation: BirdLife International 2012. Carduelis yarrellii. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 May 2013.
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