| 2009 IUCN Red List Category (as evaluated by BirdLife International - the official Red List Authority for birds for IUCN): Least Concern Justification This species has a very large range, and hence does not 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). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not 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 Sylviidae Species name author Temminck, 1820 Taxonomic source(s) Cramp and Simmons (1977-1994), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993) Taxonomic note Sylvia balearica has been split from S. sarda on the basis of size, shape (structure), coloration, song, calls, migratory behaviour and mitochondrial DNA (Shirihai et al. 2001, Baerlein et al. 2006). However, the size and structural differences are negligible, the colour differences are minor, the vocal differences are not particularly strong (and not properly assessed or presented), the migratory behaviour is difficult to evaluate taxonomically, and the molecular evidence remains unpublished after at least six years. Therefore this split is not accepted until better evidence is provided.
|
