Justification This species has a very small, fragmented and declining range. Although its numbers fluctuate naturally, its available habitat is decreasing as a result of logging, small-scale agriculture and uncontrolled fires. It therefore qualifies as Endangered.

Family/Sub-family Fringillidae

Species name author Riley, 1916

Taxonomic source(s) AOU checklist (1998 + supplements), Stotz et al. (1996)

Taxonomic note Loxia leucoptera (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into L. leucoptera and L. megaplaga following AOU (2003).

Identification 15 cm. Medium-sized finch with distinctive crossed mandibles and two white wing-bars. Male pale red with black wings. Female dull olive with blackish wings, yellowish rump and breast, and fine dark streaking on breast. Voice High, emphatic chu-chu-chu-chu call. Also soft warble. Hints Best located by calls of small foraging groups. Regularly visits water to drink.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

600 - 3,375

decreasing

3,600 km²

No

Range & population Loxia megaplaga occurs primarily in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it was not recorded from 1930-1970^5,6. Several birds were found in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica in the early 1970s, but there have been no subsequent records⁶. In Haiti, it is known from the Massifs de la Selle³ and de la Hotte^4,9,12, including the Macaya Biosphere Reserve where small flocks were recorded in 2004¹⁴. In the Dominican Republic, it occurs mostly in the Sierra de Baoruco, with occasional records from the Cordillera Central¹⁰. Numbers presumably declined between the mid-1920s and mid-1960s in response to habitat loss, but by 1978 the species was thought to be recovering¹². The population apparently fluctuates depending on food availability^2,7, but was estimated as c.3,375 individuals following surveys in the Sierra de Baoruco between 1996-1999⁷.

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

Ecology: It is restricted to pine Pinus occidentalis forests, mostly at high elevations, and feeds exclusively on pine-seeds¹². There is a large pine-cone crop about every three years, but crops in other years are small or fail altogether². Fluctuations in pine-cone abundance are not synchronous, and birds are nomadic in response to food availability, the species has been recorded as low as 540 m and as high as 2,600^2,15. It breeds between January and April, with the timing probably depending on the cone crop^7,13. The nest is usually built high up in the branches of pine trees^3,7.

Threats Logging has been reduced since the mid-1960s, but clearance for small-scale agriculture continues to fragment remaining habitat^3,6,8,12. This presumably isolates populations, making them susceptible to local pine-cone failures². Parasitism by Shiny Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis may be a problem⁹, but this seems unlikely since M. bonariensis is primarily a coastal species in the Sierra de Baoruco⁷. The principal threat may now be uncontrolled stand replacement fires, which burn more of the remaining pine habitat than can be replaced through regeneration⁷.

Conservation measures underway The vast majority of the population is in Sierra de Baoruco National Park, but there is no active protection and clearance for agriculture is widespread, especially in the border region^5,7. It has also been found in Armando Bermudez National Park in the Cordillera Central¹¹ and Macaya Biosphere Reserve¹⁴. A recovery plan was published in 1992⁸.

Conservation measures proposed Determine accurately the status and distribution of the species and its habitat⁸. Protect large tracts of mature pine forest over a range of elevations and geographic locations^2,7. Work with local communities to ensure the protection of the Sierra de Baoruco National Park.

References 1. AOU (1998). 2. Benkman (1994). 3. Bond (1979). 4. Dávalos and Brooks (2001). 5. Clement et al. (1993). 6. Dod (1978). 7. Latta et al. (2000). 8. Ottenwalder (1992b). 9. Raffaele et al. (1998). 10. Smith (1997). 11. D. C. Wege pers. obs. (1999). 12. Woods and Ottenwalder (1986). 13. Latta et al. (2002). 14. Rimmer et al (2004). 15. Latta et al. (2006).

Text account compilers Isabel Isherwood (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International), Rob Pople (BirdLife International), David Wege (BirdLife International)

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

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Loxia megaplaga. 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.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums