Justification This species is rare throughout its vast range, and is thought to be declining moderately rapidly owing to habitat loss and hunting. For this reason it is classified as Near Threatened.

Family/Sub-family Accipitridae

Species name author (Daudin, 1800)

Taxonomic source(s) AOU checklist (1998 + supplements), SACC (2005 + updates), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993), Stotz et al. (1996)

Identification

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

1,000 - 10,000

decreasing

9,190,000 km²

No

Range & population Morphnus guianensis is sparsely distributed throughout its extensive range from Guatemala through Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, and east Andean Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay and Bolivia to north Argentina^1,2,5.

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

Ecology: It occurs in lowland tropical and subtropical forest, including gallery forest in the south of its range, typically below 600 m but locally up to 1,200 m ^1,4.

Threats Its large size and low population densities make it particularly vulnerable to hunting^1,2. Deforestation is a severe problem, with many old records from now deforested parts of the Chocó region in north-west Colombia^1,2. Similarly extensive deforestation in parts of its Central American range suggest that local contractions of range or serious declines in population have already occurred^1,2. It presumably also suffers from competition with humans for prey³.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix II.

Conservation measures proposed Survey and attempt to estimate population density and global population. Organise educational campaigns to reduce hunting pressure. Study its ability to persist in fragmented and degraded habitat.

References 1. Bierregaard (1994a). 2. Bierregaard et al. (1995). 3. Galetti et al. (1997b). 4. Parker et al. (1996). 5. Guyra Paraguay (2004).

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), David Capper (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International), Helen Temple (BirdLife International)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Morphnus guianensis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

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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