Justification This fairly recently described species has been downlisted to Near Threatened, owing to a flurry of recent records which extend its known range which is now moderately small. However its distribution and abundance are still poorly known.

Family/Sub-family Certhiidae

Species name author Li, 1995

Taxonomic source(s) Martens et al. (2002)

Taxonomic note Described as new to science by Martens et al. (2002).

Identification 12 cm. A long-tailed, short-billed treecreeper. Underparts brownish apart from white chin and throat. Similar spp. Two other treecreepers occur within the range of this species, none show its combination of long tail, short bill, and underpart colouration. Voice Song consists of a brief, high frequency trill, which rises of falls in pitch.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

decreasing

32,000 km²

Yes

Range & population Certhia tianquanensis was previously thought to occupy a relatively small range, with records from just five clustered localities in the mountains west of Chengdu and Leshan: Labahe Natural Reserve, Tianquin County; Dayi County; Shuanghe town, Ebian County; Wawu Shan, Hongya County, and Wujipung, Wolong Biosphere Reserve^1,2. However, it was recently discovered at Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, some 200 km north of the previously known range³. Subsequently, the species was also confirmed to occur at nearby Taibaishan⁴, and also in the Quinling Mountains, Shaanxi⁵. Within this small area, it is often regarded as uncommon and it may also be patchily distributed because it seems to be confined to stands of old conifers (Emei fir Abies fabri), but it has probably been much overlooked³.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: This poorly-known treecreeper appears to be a relict species breeding in open stands of old-growth Emei fir Abies fabri at high altitude (2,500-2,830 m). It forages for invertebrates in the upper storey of large trees by creeping along branches and trunks. Appears to undertake localised altitudinal migrations in the winter (dropping down to at least 1,600 m).

Threats Intensive logging of primary coniferous forests in the last century, even at high altitudes in the mountains of western China, has seriously reduced the potential range of this species. The Wawu Shan table mountain has steep slopes which are inaccessible to lumberjacks in the absence of extensive road construction, but it is not yet formally protected, and there are plans to open up the regions for tourism by building a cable railway.

Conservation measures underway Two of the known sites are within protected areas - Labahe Natural Reserve and Wolong Biosphere Reserve.

Conservation measures proposed * Conduct surveys to establish its true distribution and status, especially on the Wawu Shan. *Campaign for protected area designation for the Wawu Shan. *List it as a protected species in China.

References Martens et al. (2002). 1. Anderson (2003) 2. Martins et al. (2003). 3. Rheindt (2004). 4. B. Anderson in litt. 2005. 5. M. Rank in litt. 2005.

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International)

Contributors Bjorn Anderson, Frank Rheindt, Liu Yang

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Certhia tianquanensis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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