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Toxostoma bendirei
– Vulnerable
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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MIMIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Toxostoma bendirei
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Species Authority:
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(Coues, 1873)
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Common Name/s:
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| English | — | BENDIRE'S THRASHER |
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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VU A2bc+3bc 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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Butchart, S. & Stattersfield, A. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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This species has been uplisted to Vulnerable because it is inferred to be undergoing a rapid decline. However, recent trends are poorly documented, and further information may warrant a revision of its status. Putative threats are poorly understood, but the species may be negatively impacted by habitat destruction and degradation resulting from agricultural expansion and development.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
| 1994 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
| 2000 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2000) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Toxostoma bendirei is found in south-west USA and north-west Mexico, from southern Nevada, southern Utah and south-western Colorado south to central Sonora. Its status in Baja California is unresolved1,3. Within this range its distribution is patchy and in some cases poorly known (due to low observer density in desert regions and confusion with other similar Toxostoma species)1. Individuals in the northern portion of the range migrate south in the winter and overlap with more southern residents1,3, and in the Mojave desert, California, migration begins as soon as breeding finishes, with breeding grounds vacated by late August3. The species is now so rare that trends cannot be estimated reliably from Breeding Bird Survey data2, but declines between 1966 and 2003 equate to 34.5%.
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Countries:
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Native:
Mexico; United States
Uncertain presence and origin:
Canada
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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It is found in sparse desert habitats from sea level in Sonora to approximately 1,800 m in Utah1,3. Throughout its range, breeders favour relatively open grassland, shrubland or woodland with scattered shrubs or trees, and is not found in dense vegetation. It forages primarily on the ground, probing for insects and other arthropods, but will also eat seeds and berries1. It also digs with its bill, but less frequently, not as powerfully nor as efficiently as other thrashers1.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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Threats
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Threats:
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No quantitative information exists on potential threats to this species. However, populations have been eliminated by dense urbanisation around Tuscon and by large scale agriculture along the Gila River. In California potential threats may include harvesting of Joshua trees and other yuccas, overgrazing and off-road vehicle activity. However, there have been suggestions that clearing and agricultural activities actually favour this species1.
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Conservation measures underway:
The species has been classified as a "Species of Special Concern" by California Department of Fish and Game, and protected from take. No information exists on other management actions1.
Conservation measures proposed:
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