Justification Although this species may have a restricted range, it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author Collett, 1898

Taxonomic source(s) Christidis and Boles (1994), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

20,000

unset

-

Yes

Range & population This species is endemic to the Northern Territory, Australia. Its historical range extended between about Pine Creek in the west to the McArthur River in the east, and Melville, Banyan and Bathurst islands. However, its range has contracted, and it has not been seen in the McArthur River since 1913, it has been restricted to the mainland since the 1950s, and is now absent from the north coastal plain east of South Alligator River.

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

Ecology: The species remains common in areas under Aboriginal and national park management, where grazing is minimal and burning programmes are in place, or around rocky slopes, where food availability into the wet season is relatively assured.

Threats The species range has contracted, probably as a result of overgrazing and inappropriate fire regimes. Disappearance from the coastal plains may be reversed by reinstating appropriate burning and grazing regimes. The species may occasionally be illegally taken for the bird trade, but this is unlikely to pose a serious threat as the species is common in captivity and easy to breed (Garnett and Crowley 2000).

References Garnett and Crowley 2000

Further web sources of information

Australian Govt - Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000 - Recovery Outline

Text account compilers Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Jonathan Ekstrom (BirdLife International), Matt Harding (BirdLife International)

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

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Psephotus dissimilis. 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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