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Heteroglaux blewitti
– Critically 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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STRIGIFORMES
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Family:
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STRIGIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Heteroglaux blewitti
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Species Authority:
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(Hume, 1873)
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Synonym/s:
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Athene blewitti (Hume, 1873)
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Common Name/s:
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| English | — | FOREST OWLET |
| French | — | CHEVÊCHE FORESTIÈRE, CHOUETTE DES FORÊTS |
| Spanish | — | MOCHUELO DE BLEWITT, MOCHUELO FORESTAL |
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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CR C2a(i) ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2004
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Assessor/s:
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BirdLife International
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Evaluator/s:
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Tobias, J., Crosby, M., Peet, N., Collar, N. & Benstead, P. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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This recently rediscovered species has a tiny, severely fragmented population known from less than ten recent localities. It is inferred to be declining as a result of loss of its deciduous forest habitat. These factors qualify it as Critically Endangered.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Threatened (Collar and Andrew 1988) |
| 1994 | - | Critically Endangered (Collar, Crosby and Stattersfield 1994) |
| 2000 | - | Critically Endangered (BirdLife International 2000) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Athene blewitti is endemic to central India. Until its rediscovery in 1997, it was known from seven specimens collected during the 19th century at four localities in two widely separated areas, northern Maharashtra, and south-east Madhya Pradesh/western Orissa. In 2000, a survey of 14 forest areas across its former range located 25 birds at four sites in northern Maharashtra and south-western Madhya Pradesh, including three pairs at Taloda Forest Range and seven pairs at Toranmal Forest Range. No birds were found in a brief survey of its former eastern range in Orissa. More recently survey effort in the Satpura Range (Maharashtra) has located another five sites1. Although there is some confusion over its former abundance, evidence strongly suggests it has always been rare.
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Countries:
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Native:
India
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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 appears to be a sedentary resident with recent sightings from fairly open deciduous forest. It was rediscovered at 460 m. Most historical records came from moist deciduous forest or dense jungle, the altitudinal range of which is unclear, although most specimens were collected in plains forest. This suggests that the recent observations from hill slopes may represent birds in suboptimal habitat. It appears to be quite strongly diurnal and fairly easy to detect, frequently perching on prominent bare branches. Lizards appear to be important prey.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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List of Habitats:
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| 1.5 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry |
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Threats
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Threats:
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Given its rarity, identification of threats is difficult. However, deciduous forest has been severely depleted at the site of its rediscovery, including total clearance of plains-level forest, and there is intense pressure from local people on the remaining forest resources in the area. It is likely that other forest areas where it occurs are under similarly intense pressure.
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List of Threats:
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| 1.1.1.2 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Crops - Small-holder farming (ongoing) |
| 1.1.4.2 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Livestock - Small-holder (ongoing) |
| 1.3.3.1 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Extraction - Wood - Small-scale subsistence (ongoing) |
| 1.3.3.2 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Extraction - Wood - Selective logging (ongoing) |
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Conservation measures underway:
CITES Appendix I and II. Since its rediscovery in 1997, fieldwork has been conducted into its status, ecology and threats. Interventions have been made to seek the prevention of further forest losses at the site of rediscovery. A single male has been seen in the protected Melghat Tiger Reserve.
Conservation measures proposed:
Conduct surveys in remaining suitable habitat, particularly sites not surveyed in 2000, in the 800 km gap between the east/west limits of the historical records, to establish its total range, current distribution and population status, habitat use, and to assess its main threats. Draw up recommendations for its conservation based on the results of these surveys, including the establishment of protected areas for selected sites found to support populations, and the initiation of a conservation project to ensure its long-term survival.
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List of Conservation Actions:
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| 1.1.1 | Policy-based actions - Management plans - Development (needed) |
| 3.2 | Research actions - Population numbers and range (needed) |
| 3.3 | Research actions - Biology and Ecology (needed) |
| 3.5 | Research actions - Threats (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. 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. IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. 1986. 1986 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
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