Justification This stunning starling qualifies as Critically Endangered because it has an extremely small range (wild birds confined to one locality) and a tiny population which is still suffering from illegal poaching for the cagebird trade.

Family/Sub-family Sturnidae

Species name author Stresemann, 1912

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

Identification 25 cm. Medium-large, stocky starling. Almost wholly white with long, drooping crest, black wing-tips and tail tip. Blue bare skin around eye and legs, yellow bill. Similar spp. Black-winged Starling Sturnus melanopterus has shorter crest, much larger area of black on wings and tail and yellow eyering and legs. Voice Variety of sharp chattering calls and an emphatic twat.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

24

decreasing

38 km²

Yes

Range & population Leucopsar rothschildi is endemic to the island of Bali, Indonesia, where it formerly ranged across the north-west third of the island. It has perhaps long been uncommon (numbers in the early 1900s, the period of discovery, have been retrospectively guessed at 300-900, although this is thought to be a gross underestimate), but has declined drastically in population and range. Illegal poaching reduced numbers to a critically low level in 1990, when the wild population was estimated at c.15 birds. Conservation intervention coupled with the release of a few captive-bred birds raised this to between 35 and 55. However, despite excellent breeding success and continuing conservation efforts, the population continues to fluctuate and fell to six birds in 2001¹. Continuing releases have raised numbers in West Bali National Park, such that surveys in March 2005 found 24 individuals² and in 2008 the population here was believed to be around 50 birds³. A second population on Nusa Penida island, derived from released individuals, appears to have adapted to the island and is breeding, with a total of 56 adults and 39 young present in 2008³. About 1,000 are believed to survive in captivity.

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

Ecology: In the breeding season (usually October-November), it inhabits fire-induced open shrub, tree and palm-savanna and adjacent closed-canopy monsoon-forest (tropical moist deciduous), below 175 m. In the non-breeding season, birds disperse into open forest edge and flooded savanna woodland. In the past they also occurred, and even nested, in coconut groves near villages. Previously thought to rely on cavities excavated and vacated by other birds, released individuals on Nusa Penida have nested in sugar palm, coconut and fig trees³.

Threats Its decline to virtual extinction in the wild is primarily attributable to unsustainable, illegal trapping in response to worldwide demand for the cage-bird trade. This threat continues despite the fact that the whole population is now confined within a national park and has been the subject of a specific conservation programme. The park and programme have, however, suffered from repeated mismanagement and corruption. In 1999, while black-market prices soared (US $2,000 in mid-1990s), an armed gang stole almost all the 39 captive individuals in the park awaiting release into the wild. These serious problems are compounded by habitat loss. With the population now at such a critically low level, other threats may include genetic erosion, interspecific competition, natural predation and disease.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix I. The species has been protected under Indonesian law since 1970, while the remaining world population occurs entirely within Bali Barat National Park. Since 1983, the Bali Starling Project has helped to improve the guarding of the park, bolstered the wild population through release of captive-bred birds, and provided the foundation for the development of the Bali Starling Recovery Plan. It also appears to be benefitting from efforts within the Nusa Penida Bird Sanctuary³. Plans are being developed to legalise breeding and trading of Bali Starling to open up the market and undermine illegal trade². In addition, the Wildlife Conservation Society continues to operate wildlife crime market/trade surveillance and enforcement at key trading hubs in Indonesia⁴.

Conservation measures proposed Continue to monitor population trends closely. Commence strict implementation of the Bali Starling Recovery Plan. Continue to monitor the success of the release on Nusa Penida, in particular investigating interactions with Black-winged Starling Sturnus melanopterus.

References BirdLife International (2001). 1. P. Benstead verbally (2003). 2. P. Wood in litt. (2005). 3. G. Dijkman in litt. (2007, 2008). 4. N. Brickle in litt. (2007).

Further web sources of information

Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) species/site profile. This species has been identified as an AZE trigger due to its IUCN Red List status and limited range.

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), John Pilgrim (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International), Joe Tobias (BirdLife International)

Contributors Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Nicholas Brickle (Wildlife Conservation Society), G Dijkman, P. Wood

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

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Leucopsar rothschildi. 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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