Justification This rather diminutive crow has a very small population, which is subject to a continuing decline in the face of rampant deforestation on its island home. It thus qualifies as Endangered.

Family/Sub-family Corvidae

Species name author Büttikofer, 1894

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

Identification 40 cm. Medium-sized, forest-dwelling crow. Plumage all black, dark iris. Feathering extends halfway along ridge of bill. Similar spp. Large-billed Crow C. macrorhynchos is much larger with more massive bill. Voice High-pitched, downwardly inflected cwaaa or cawaraa. Also waak repeated 1-3 times, resonant popping or gurgling and wheezing contact call.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

1,000-2,499

decreasing

9,100 km²

Yes

Range & population Corvus florensis is endemic to the islands of Flores and Rinca¹, Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, where it is known chiefly from the lowlands in the western half of Flores. It seems likely that it has always been relatively uncommon, although locally frequent in undisturbed habitat. Overall it is acknowledged to occur only at low densities, with most encounters involving single birds, and appears to have declined.

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

Ecology: It inhabits semi-evergreen forest and degraded, moist, deciduous monsoon-forest (especially along watercourses) from sea-level to 950 m, where it generally frequents the canopy or subcanopy. In coastal areas it occurs in open bamboo and "open monsoon woodland or scrub" which constitutes "very dry, lightly wooded terrain". It evidently tolerates some forest degradation and will feed at the forest edge and in adjacent vegetable cultivation, but its general absence from small, relict forest patches suggests it may not adapt well to habitat fragmentation.

Threats The primary threat is further habitat loss and fragmentation driven principally by small-scale agricultural encroachment, which is already extensive on Flores, and has presumably resulted in a substantial decline in numbers and contraction of range. Although it appears fairly tolerant of forest degradation, and of drier formations, it is basically forest-dependent. The large tract of lowland moist deciduous forest at Golo Bilas (one of two sites where the species is described as frequent) is also being cleared for firewood and construction materials. An additional minor threat may be posed by cuckoo parasitism, as the species is a host for the Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae and Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea, although the former is very rare in western Flores.

Conservation measures underway Two recent surveys have been conducted on Flores, with C. florensis being a species targeted for study. It has been recorded in the Wolo Tadho Strict Nature Reserve and Wae Wuul Nature Reserve.

Conservation measures proposed Conduct further surveys in central and eastern Flores (particularly in northern Ende, where moist, deciduous monsoon-forest is reported to be extensive) to establish its current distribution and population size. Conduct ecological research to assess its success in different forest-types and the impact of cuckoo parasitism. Extend Wolo Tadho Strict Nature Reserve and support the establishment of further protected areas in western Flores (including Tanjung Kerita Mese, Golo Bilas and Nanga Rawa).

References BirdLife International (2001). 1. C. Trainor in litt. (2007).

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), Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Pete Davidson (BirdLife International), Joe Tobias (BirdLife International)

Contributors Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), John Pilgrim (BirdLife International), Colin Trainor (BirdLife International Asia Division)

IUCN Red List evaluators Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Corvus florensis. 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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