Justification This species qualifies as Near Threatened because it is likely to be undergoing a moderately rapid population reduction owing to logging of the old-growth forests where it nests. Future oil exploration could exaccerate these declines.

Family/Sub-family Alcidae

Species name author (Pallas, 1811)

Taxonomic source(s) AERC TAC (2003), AOU checklist (1998 + supplements)

Taxonomic note Brachyramphus marmoratus (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into B. marmoratus and B. perdix following AOU (1998).

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

decreasing

-

No

Range & population Brachyramphus perdix breeds in Japan through the Sea of Okhotsk to the Kamchatka peninsula, Russia. It was split from Marbled Murrelet B. marmoratus (which breeds in California to the Aleutian Islands) in 1996¹. The population is estimated to number in the tens of thousands². In Japan, it is rare in eastern Hokkaido, but commoner on the Sea of Okhotsk coast, especially near the Shiretoko peninsula. There are few areas in Russia where the species is considered common: the lower Amur River area, particularly between Baydukov island and Aleksandra bay; near Magadan along the Khmitievsky peninsula, Tauyskaya bay, and the Koni peninsula; and on the Kamchatka peninsula. It appears to be uncommon in the Primorye region and on Sakhalin island (where its distribution is patchy), and it is rare on the northern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.

Ecology: It breeds in old-growth coniferous forests within 100 km of the coast, wintering in sheltered coastal waters.

Threats Like Marbled Murrelet, this species is under increasing threat from the logging of old growth forests which has accelerated in recent years, particularly on Sakhalin island and the Kamchatka peninsula. Intensive development of the oil industry has occurred on the Okhotsk and Bering Sea shelves, and this constitutes a further potential threat.

Conservation measures underway None is known.

Conservation measures proposed Conduct surveys to improve knowledge of the breeding and wintering grounds. Regularly monitor the population at important sites on both the breeding and wintering grounds. Ensure sufficient safeguards are put in place and inforced to prevent pollution in important parts of the at sea range. Protect large areas of unlogged forest in important breeding areas.

References 1. Friesen et al. (1996). 2. Konyukhov & Kitaysky (1995).

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Brachyramphus perdix. 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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