Justification This grassland specialist has a small, rapidly declining population owing to loss and degradation of its grassland habitat, primarily through drainage and conversion to agriculture. It therefore qualifies as Vulnerable.

Family/Sub-family Sylviidae

Species name author (Jerdon, 1841)

Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Synonyms Chaetornis striatus BirdLife International (2004), Chaetornis striatus BirdLife International (2000), Chaetornis striatus Collar et al. (1994), Chaetornis striatus Collar and Andrew (1988), Chaetornis striatus Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Taxonomic note Gender agreement of species name follows David and Gosselin (2002b).

Identification 20 cm. Large, dark-streaked, buffy-brown warbler with relatively short, thick bill. Similar spp. Striated Grassbird M. palustris has longer, narrow bill, more pronounced supercilium and somewhat longer, narrower tail. Voice Song is monotonously repeated trew-treuw usually given in circling display above territory. Hints Look for males song-flighting in breeding season.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

2,500-9,999

decreasing

593,000 km²

No

Range & population Chaetornis striata is endemic to the Indian subcontinent, where it is patchily and locally distributed in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Formerly described as common in at least Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal (India) and parts of Bangladesh, it has evidently declined. Recent records come from Pakistan, the terai of Nepal, Uttar Pradesh and Assam, as well as Delhi, Punjab and Maharashtra, India. It is now usually found in small numbers.

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

Ecology: It inhabits tall grassland (often dominated by Imperata and Saccharum species) and reed Phragmites, particularly in riverine and swampy areas, and intermixed with low thorny scrub or standing crops of rice. In Nepal, it occurs in relatively open, short grasslands, mostly on dry soils, but also in moist areas with tall reeds and scattered bushes. It is generally encountered singly or in pairs and is difficult to observe, except when song-flighting or breeding (May-September). It makes some nomadic local movements in response to rainfall patterns, often appearing at sites for only a few months then disappearing again.

Threats Large tracts of natural swamp and wet grassland have been destroyed or degraded across its range, as a result of drainage and conversion for agriculture, and most remaining habitat is subject to intense pressure from human encroachment, fire, grass harvesting, grazing by domestic livestock, commercial forestry plantations, dam projects and irrigation schemes.

Conservation measures underway There are recent records from several protected areas, including Sulktanpur National Park, Haryana, Manas and Kaziranga National Parks, Assam, Okhla Bird Park, New Dehli, Corbett Tiger Reserve and Chitwan National Park, Sukla Phanta and Kosi Tappu Wildlife Reserves, Nepal.

Conservation measures proposed Conduct further surveys to establish its current distribution and population status relative to its historical range. Investigate its ecology and seasonal movements, both inside and outside protected areas, to clarify how changes in land-use patterns may affect survival. Identify the most important sites for the species and make management recommendations for these localities and, where appropriate, campaign for their gazetting as protected areas. Regulate harvesting of grass, overgrazing and encroachment at key sites.

References BirdLife International (2001).

Further web sources of information

Fully detailed species accounts from the Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2001), together with new information collated since the publication of the Red Data Book

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Pete Davidson (BirdLife International), James Gilroy (BirdLife International), Nic Peet (BirdLife International), Joe Tobias (BirdLife International)

IUCN Red List evaluators Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Nigel Collar (BirdLife International), Mike Crosby (BirdLife International), James Gilroy (BirdLife International), Nic Peet (BirdLife International), Joe Tobias (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Chaetornis striata. 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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