Dwarf Honeyguide (Indicator pumilio): downlist to Least Concern?

BirdLife species factsheet for Dwarf Honeyguide

Dwarf Honeyguide Indicator pumilio is restricted to the Albertine Rift mountains in Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), possibly also occurring in Burundi (Fry et al. 1988). It is currently listed as Near Threatened under criterion B1ab(i,ii,iii) of the IUCN Red List because it was thought to have a moderately small range, suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction as a result of shifting agriculture and illicit logging, exacerbated by high population pressure (Butynski et al. 1997; Hall et al. 1998; Omari et al. 1999). The population size of this species has not been quantified, but it is considered common.

Mapping of this species’s range, however, has shown that its Extent of Occurrence (EOO) is 35,600km². Thus, the species no longer qualifies as Near Threatened under the range size criterion, on the basis that its EOO does not approach 20,000km², and should warrant downlisting to Least Concern providing its population size is not thought to approach 10,000 mature individuals, with all individuals in one subpopulation or all subpopulations approaching 1,000 mature individuals; and it is not suspected to be declining at a rate of ≥25% in three generations (17 years).

Further information is required on the distribution, population size and trends of this species, and on the rate of habitat loss within its range. Comments on the proposed downlisting are also welcome.

References:

Butynski, T. M., Agenonga, U., Ndera, B. and Hart, J. F. (1997) Rediscovery of the Congo Bay (Itombwe) Owl Phodilus prigoginei. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 4(1): 32-35.

Fry, C. H., Keith, S. and Urban, E. K. (1988) The birds of Africa vol III. Academic Press: London.

Hall, J. S., Saltonstall, K., Inogwabini, B.-I. and Omari, I. (1998) Distribution, abundance and conservation status of Grauer’s gorilla. Oryx 32: 122-130.

Omari, I., Hart, J. A., Butynski, T. M., Birnashirwa, N. R., Upoki, A., M’Keyo, Y., Bengana, F., Bashonga, M. and Baguruburnwe, N. (1999) The Itombwe Massif, Democratic Republic of Congo: biological surveys and conservation, with an emphasis on Grauer’s gorilla and birds endemic to the Albertine Rift. Oryx 33: 301-322.

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