Justification This species has a moderately small population which is declining owing to habitat loss. It is consequently classified as Near Threatened.

Family/Sub-family Picidae

Species name author (Cabanis, 1883)

Taxonomic source(s) SACC (2005 + updates), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993), Stotz et al. (1996)

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

10,000

unset

586,000 km²

No

Range & population Dryocopus schulzi is restricted to the xeric woodland and savannas of the central and southern Chaco and the woodlands of the foothill Chaco in south Bolivia (Tarija), west Paraguay (Nueva Asunción, Boquerón, Presidente Hayes) and north-central Argentina (Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Córdoba, San Luis and Corrientes), and transitional subtropical forest up to 1,500 m in the low Andean foothills of south-central Bolivia (Santa Cruz) and north-west Argentina (Salta, Tucumán)^1,3,6,7. It appears to have always been rare, or perhaps under-recorded, but has declined over much of its former range in Argentina. It survives mainly in two isolated population centres in Córdoba and adjacent San Luis, and the central Paraguayan Chaco^2,4,6.

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

Ecology: Its habitat preferences are not clear, but it has been found breeding in mature horcoquebracho Schinopsis hankeana and Lithraea ternifolia woodland⁵, and has been found in timber plantations.

Threats Habitat loss is principally the result of logging of quebracho (Aspidosperma spp., Schinopsis quebrachocolorado) and algarrobo (Prosopis spp.) for charcoal, tannins and railway sleepers, land clearance for agriculture and cattle-ranching, and plantations of non-native tree genera^2,6,7.

Conservation measures underway In Argentina it has been recorded in Formosa Natural Reserve, Río Pilcomayo National Park (Formosa), Chaco National Park (Chaco), and Chancaní and Cerro Colorado Provincial Reserves (Córdoba).

Conservation measures proposed Effectively protect and manage protected areas where the species occurs. Study its ecology and its ability to persist in small isolated populations in degraded and fragmented habitats.

References 1. Canevari et al. (1991). 2. H. Casañas in litt. (1998). 3. Chebez (1995). 4. García Fernández et al. (1997). 5. Heredia et al. (1999). 6. Madroño and Pearman (1992). 7. Winkler et al. (1995).

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), David Capper (BirdLife International), E.F. Mansur (Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Contributors Hernan Casañas (Aves Argentinas/AOP)

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

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Dryocopus schulzi. 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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