Species

Justification
This species is considered Near Threatened as it is limited to lowland forest habitats in a region in which deforestation is rife. It persists in secondary and logged habitats, suggesting that it may not be at imminent threat, but many populations are likely to be declining moderately rapidly owing to wholesale habitat loss. Should the species be found to be declining less rapidly or to be more tolerant of degraded habitats than currently thought, it would warrant downlisting to a lower threat category.

Taxonomic source(s)
Sibley, C. G.; Monroe, B. L. 1990. Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale University Press, New Haven, USA.

Distribution and population
Macronous ptilosus occurs in the Sundaic lowlands, from peninsular Thailand, Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore (formerly), Kalimantan (including Anamba Islands) and Sumatra (including offshore islands), Indonesia and Brunei, where it is locally very common in suitable habitats.

Population justification
The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as generally scarce to fairly common (del Hoyo et al. 2007).

Trend justification
Declines are likely to have occurred in areas where habitat clearance or fragmentation has occurred.

Ecology
This species is found in lowland evergreen forests, including freshwater swamp forest, secondary growth and bamboo, up to 700 m. Although this species is fairly tolerant of degraded forest, being recorded at relatively high densities within selectively logged forests with luxuriant lower-storey growth (e.g. Edwards et al. 2011), evidence from Singapore suggests that it is unable to persist in secondary forest fragments long term (Castelletta et al. 2000). In addition, the species is not found in heavily degraded and disturbed habitats such as degraded peat swamp forest (Posa 2011), plantations and scrub (Peh et al. 2006) or in highly fragmented forest (D. L. Yong in litt. 2012).


Threats
Rates of forest loss in the Sundaic lowlands have been extremely rapid, owing partly to the escalation of illegal logging and land conversion, with deliberate targeting of all remaining stands of valuable timber including those inside protected areas. Forest fires have also had a damaging effect (particularly in 1997-1998). As this species persists in secondary and logged forests, it may not be under immediate threat from selective logging, but forest clearance (e.g. for plantations and agriculture) remains a real threat.


Conservation actions underway
None is known

Conservation actions proposed
Monitor populations and habitat trends across the range. Conduct ecological studies to determine precise habitat requirements and response to fragmentation. Improve the management of any protected areas suffering encroachment within the species's range. Increase the area of suitable habitat that has protected status. Implement measures to reduce the number and severity of forest fires.

References
BirdLife International. 2001. Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.

Edwards, D.P., Larsen, T.H., Docherty, T.D.S., Ansell, F.A., Hsu, W.W., Derhé, M.A., Hamer, K.C., Wilcove, D.S. 2011. Degraded lands worth protecting: the biological importance of Southeast Asia’s repeatedly logged forests. Proc Biol Sci 278: 82–90.

Castelletta, M., Sodhi, N.S., Subaraj, R. 2000. Heavy extinctions of forest avifauna in Singapore: lessons for biodiversity conservation in Southeast Asia. Conservation Biology 14: 1870–1880.

Posa, M. 2011. Peat swamp forest avifauna of Central Kalimantan, Indonesia: Effects of habitat loss and degradation. Biological Conservation 114(10): 2548-2556.

Peh, K. S. H., Sodhi, N. S., de Jong, J., Sekercioglu, C. H., Yap, C. A. M., and Lim, S. L. H. 2006. Conservation value of degraded habitats for forest birds in southern Peninsular Malaysia. Diversity and Distributions 12(5): 572-581.

Further web sources of information
Detailed species accounts from the Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2001).

View photos and videos, and hear sounds of this species from the Internet Bird Collection

Text account compilers
Benstead, P., Derhé, M., Gilroy, J.

Contributors
Duckworth, W., Yong, D.

IUCN Red List evaluators
Butchart, S., Symes, A.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Macronous ptilosus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013.

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

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Additional resources for this species

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