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Eupherusa cyanophrys

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA AVES APODIFORMES TROCHILIDAE

Scientific Name: Eupherusa cyanophrys
Species Authority: Rowley & Orr, 1964
Common Name/s:
English Blue-capped Hummingbird, Oaxaca Hummingbird
Spanish Colibrí Oaxaqueño

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Endangered B1ab(i,ii,iii,v) ver 3.1
Year Published: 2012
Assessor/s: BirdLife International
Reviewer/s: Butchart, S. & Symes, A.
Contributor/s: Howell, S. & Navarro, A.
Justification:
Habitat is probably contiguous between the two areas from which this species is known. The lack of records in these intervening areas is almost certainly indicative of the paucity of field studies. Even including these areas of presumed occurrence, the species has a very small range in which habitat is being lost, and consequently it qualifies as Endangered.

History:
2008 Endangered
2004 Endangered
2000 Endangered
1996 Endangered
1994 Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: Eupherusa cyanophrys is endemic to the Sierra Miahuatlán, an isolated mountain range in southernmost Oaxaca, Mexico. It has been found in two areas of the sierra, separated by c.60-70 km: in the west along the Puerto Escondido road; and to the east along the Puerto Angel road at its intersection with the río Jalatengo. Appropriate habitat appears widespread along the latter road (Roberson and Carratello 1997), and it was locally common until at least 1997 (S. N. G. Howell in litt. 1998, A. G. Navarro in litt. 1998), but its known range remains highly restricted.

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

Population [top]

Population: The population is estimated to number 1,000-2,499 individuals based on an assessment of known records, descriptions of abundance and range size. This is consistent with recorded population density estimates for congeners or close relatives with a similar body size, and the fact that only a proportion of the estimated Extent of Occurrence is likely to be occupied. This estimate is equivalent to 667-1,666 mature individuals, rounded here to 600-1,700 mature individuals.
Population Trend: Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: It is primarily restricted to cloud-forest and the upper reaches of tropical semi-deciduous forest at 1,300-1,950 m, occasionally wandering (possibly seasonally) to c.700 m on adjacent mountain slopes. It also occurs up to 2,500 m, but at lower densities (Howell and Webb 1995a). Nesting has been recorded in September-November and May (Howell and Webb 1995a).

Systems: Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): The cloud-forests on the Sierra Miahuatlán were essentially unspoilt by human activity until the mid-1960s, when huge areas were cut and burnt for the planting of maize. Lower montane forest in the sierra is still being cleared, largely for the cultivation of citrus fruits (Dinerstein et al. 1995). In October 1997, Hurricane Paulina destroyed large portions of suitable cloud-forest habitat (A. G. Navarro in litt. 1998), but the full impact of this stochastic event on the species is unknown.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix II. No other measures are known.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Conduct surveys to assess the precise distribution and the extent of altitudinal migration. Carry out surveys to obtain a population estimate and determine the impact of Hurricane Paulina. Designate a protected area in the Sierra de Miahuatlán encompassing the range of this species (Hernández-Baños et al. 1995).

Bibliography [top]

Collar, N. J.; Gonzaga, L. P.; Krabbe, N.; Madroño Nieto, A.; Naranjo, L. G.; Parker, T. A.; Wege, D. C. 1992. Threatened birds of the Americas: the ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge, U.K.

Dinerstein, E.; Olson, D. M.; Graham, D. J.; Webster, A. L.; Primm, S. A.; Bookbinder, M. P.; Ledec, G. 1995. A conservation assesssment of the terrestrial ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean. World Bank, Washington, D.C.

Hernández-Baños, B. E.; Peterson, A. T.; Navarro-Sigüenza, A. G.; Escalante-Pliego, B. P. 1995. Bird faunas of the humid montane forests of Mesoamerica: biogeographic patterns and priorities for conservation. Bird Conservation International 5: 251-278.

Howell, S. N. G.; Webb, S. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2012.1). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 19 June 2012).

Roberson, D.; Carratello, R. 1997. Updates to the avifauna of Oaxaca, Mexico. Cotinga: 21-22.

Citation: BirdLife International 2012. Eupherusa cyanophrys. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 June 2013.
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