Justification This forest associated species is listed as Near Threatened because it is assumed to have experienced moderately rapid declines owing to the extensive loss of lowland forests from large areas of the Sundaic lowlands, and it may be impacted by trade. It is not considered more threatened because it can use secondary habitats and also occurs in (less threatened) lower montane forest.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author (Forster, 1795)

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

Identification

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

unknown

decreasing

1,410,000 km²

No

Range & population Psittinus cyanurus is confined to the Sundaic lowlands, where it is known from south Tenasserim, Myanmar, peninsular Thailand, Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Kalimantan, Sumatra (including the Riau, Lingga, Bangka, Simeulue, Mentawai islands), Indonesia and Brunei. It is only locally common and generally rarer than other sympatric Psittacula species. Nevertheless, the global population is thought to be in excess of 100,000 individuals, but declining.

Ecology: It inhabits primary, dry-land evergreen and semi-evergreen lowland forest, both mature and selectively logged, and also visits edge vegetation, cultivated areas and gap-phase growth of forest clearings and occasionally mangroves, up to 1,300 m though generally below 700 m. It is gregarious and regularly forms flocks of up to 20 individuals. Breeding occurs in February to May in Malaysia, and June to September in Borneo.

Threats Forest destruction in the Sundaic lowlands of Indonesia and Malaysia has been extensive (Kalimantan lost nearly 25% of its evergreen forest during 1985-1997, and Sumatra lost almost 30% of its 1985 cover), because of a variety of factors, including the escalation of logging and land conversion, with deliberate targeting of all remaining stands of valuable timber including those inside protected areas, plus forest fires (particularly in 1997-1998), and declines are compounded by trapping for the cage-bird industry. However, the species's use of secondary growth and higher elevations implies that it is not immediately threatened.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix II.

Conservation measures proposed Monitor the species occurrence in trade and address this threat if necessary. Calculate rates of forest loss in the Sundaic lowlands using satellite imagery and remote sensing techniques and estimate population trends accordingly. Protect remaining areas of lowland forest within its range.

References BirdLife International (2001). Juniper and Parr (1998).

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)

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

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Psittinus cyanurus. 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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