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Myophonus blighi
– Endangered
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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AVES
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Order:
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PASSERIFORMES
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Family:
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TURDIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Myophonus blighi
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Species Authority:
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(Holdsworth, 1872)
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Synonym/s:
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Myiophonus blighi (Holdsworth, 1872) [orth. error]
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Common Name/s:
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| English | — | SRI LANKA WHISTLING-THRUSH |
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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EN B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v); C2a(i) ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2006
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Assessor/s:
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BirdLife International
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Evaluator/s:
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Butchart, S. & Pilgrim, J. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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This species is listed as Endangered because it has a very small, severely fragmented population and range, which are undergoing a continuing decline as a result of degradation and destruction of upland forest.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Threatened (Collar and Andrew 1988) |
| 1994 | - | Endangered (Collar, Crosby and Stattersfield 1994) |
| 2000 | - | Endangered (BirdLife International 2000) |
| 2004 | - | Endangered (BirdLife International 2004) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Myophonus blighi is endemic to Sri Lanka, where it is restricted to the central mountains. It has always been considered scarce and is thought to have a declining, increasingly fragmented, population of no more than a few thousand individuals.
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Range Map:
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 (click for detailed map)
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Countries:
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Native:
Sri Lanka
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Population
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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It is a secretive, ground-dwelling bird confined to dense mountain forests above c.900 m, usually close to streams, especially in ravines and gorges. Breeding is from January-May, and possibly again in September, on rock ledges next to waterfalls or rapids and also in the forks of trees.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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List of Habitats:
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| 1.9 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane |
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Threats
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Threats:
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The main threat is the extensive clearance and degradation of montane forests through conversion to timber plantations and agriculture, firewood-collection, particularly around Nuwara Eliya, Maskeliya and Bogowantaalaw, and gem mining. Some protected forests continue to be degraded and suffer further fragmentation. It has been affected by reductions in food supply because of replacement of natural forests, containing fruiting trees, with monoculture plantations. Run-off from vegetable farms is polluting streams within its range. Forest die-back in the montane region, perhaps a result of air pollution, is a potential threat. Birdwatchers using tape play-back may adversely affect breeding success at Horton Plains National Park.
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List of Threats:
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| 1.1.2 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Wood plantations (ongoing) |
| 1.1.9 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Unknown (ongoing) |
| 1.3.3.1 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Extraction - Wood - Small-scale subsistence (ongoing) |
| 6.2.1 | Pollution (affecting habitat and/or species) - Land pollution - Agriculture (ongoing) |
| 10.1 | Human disturbance - Recreation/tourism (ongoing) |
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Conservation measures underway:
It is legally protected in Sri Lanka. A moratorium was passed in 1990 to protect wet zone forests from logging. It occurs in several national parks and forest reserves, most notably Peak Wilderness Sanctuary and Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve. A survey of the biodiversity of 200 forest sites was carried out from 1991-1996.
Conservation measures proposed:
Conduct a comprehensive survey in order to clarify its status and produce management recommendations for this species in conservation forests and other protected areas. Research the effects of pesticide pollution on this and other species associated with upland streams. Encourage protection of important areas of forest holding this and other threatened species, including proposals to designate conservation forests, and ensure their effective management. Maintain the current ban on logging of wet zone forests. Promote programmes to create awareness of the value of biological resources amongst local communities.
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List of Conservation Actions:
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| 1.3.3 | Policy-based actions - Community management - Livelihood alternatives (needed) |
| 1.4 | Policy-based actions - Other (needed) |
| 3.2 | Research actions - Population numbers and range (needed) |
| 3.8 | Research actions - Conservation measures (needed) |
| 4.2 | Habitat and site-based actions - Restoration (needed) |
| 4.4.1 | Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Identification of new protected areas (needed) |
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Bibliography
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Bibliography:
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Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Bird Reference Citations. The numbers inserted in the text accounts above (usually in bold) refer to references. For further details on these references, click on the BirdLife International link above to go to the specific species account on the BirdLife web site. In some cases, particularly in the taxonomic notes, the references are cited using the author names. Details for these can be found on the BirdLife International web site at the following two places:
For References from A–L.
For References from M–Z. BirdLife International 2006. Threatened Birds of the World 2006. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 04/05/2006. BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K. BirdLife International. 2004 Threatened Birds of the World 2004. CD-ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K. Collar, N.J. and Andrew, P. 1988. Birds to Watch. The ICBP World Checklist of Threatened Birds. ICBP Technical Publication No. 8. Page Bros. (Norwich) Ltd, Norfolk, England. Collar, N.J., Crosby, M.J. and Stattersfield, A.J. 1994. Birds to Watch 2. The World List of Threatened Birds BirdLife International. Page Bros (Norwich) Ltd, U.K.
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