7 thoughts on “Rusty-throated Wren-babbler (Spelaeornis badeigularis)”
I think it is too fast to take a hasty decision. Things are changing in the field. The ” common” bird of King et al who travelled a short distance by road is no longer exists. In Dec 2021 I spent two days in the area but except a call from one bird there was no other result. There was new road constructions in its habitat and some deforestation too. It’s known range is very small. And without having sufficient field data it’s status may not be changed on the basis of presumption.
Overall there is an increased penetration of human activity, roads, timber logging in the regions where this Species is seen. The current estimated number looks very unrealistic and by far the number would be far lesser. VULNERABLE with such a limited range.
2. An additional point to be made is the map used in BLI – where there is considerable extent from Mishmi hills towards Udayak pass where the original type locality of the species lies. However, there are no reports since the original collection though that area is relatively under-surveyed compared to the roadside Mishmi hills. Hence, there is an uncertainty on the current EOO – and hence it could be lower than 5,300 sq. km by about 20-30%
3. I agree that the density estimates for a Spelaeornis is likely to be high in ideal habitats – and c. 25 singing males per sq . km. may even be an undercount for a species that do not hold large breeding territories. However, what is not clear is what qualifies as an ideal habitat . Not all forest types suit the species and the extent of ideal habitat to multiply density estimates is unavailable.
Hence, there is some uncertainty on both current EOO and area of available habitat for the species and it may perhaps be worthwhile to apply the precautionary principle to retain the current threat status.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now temporarily closed and we are unable to accept any more comments until 6 February 2023. We will now analyse and interpret new information, and we will post a preliminary decision on this species’ Red List status on this page on 6 February 2023, when discussions will re-open.
We thank contributors for their comments. In response: the reference (Rasmussen et al. 2017) mentioned has now been added to the species account and justification; and, in reponse to comments made by Praveen J, a map edit is underway. Nonetheless, this does not change the overall conclusion that rates of forest cover loss in its range remain low, and the species is unlikely to be confined to fewer than 10 Locations (as per IUCN Guidelines). Based on available information, our preliminary proposal for the 2023 Red List would be to adopt the proposed classifications outlined in the initial forum discussion.
There is now a period for further comments until the final deadline on 12 February 2023, after which the recommended categorisations will be put forward to IUCN.
The final 2023 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in December 2023, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments. We will analyse and interpret available information, and we will post a final decision on this species’ Red List status on this page on 20 February 2023.
Recommended categorisation to be put forward to IUCN
The final categorisation for this species has not changed. Rusty-throated Wren-babbler is recommended to be listed as Near Threatened, approaching the threshold for listing as threatened under Criterion B1b(iii).
Many thanks for everyone who contributed to the 2023.1 GTB Forum process. The final 2023 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in December 2023, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
I think it is too fast to take a hasty decision. Things are changing in the field. The ” common” bird of King et al who travelled a short distance by road is no longer exists. In Dec 2021 I spent two days in the area but except a call from one bird there was no other result. There was new road constructions in its habitat and some deforestation too. It’s known range is very small. And without having sufficient field data it’s status may not be changed on the basis of presumption.
Overall there is an increased penetration of human activity, roads, timber logging in the regions where this Species is seen. The current estimated number looks very unrealistic and by far the number would be far lesser. VULNERABLE with such a limited range.
1. A possible down-listing to Near-threatened was first suggested here in 2017 https://indianbirds.in/pdfs/IB_13_3_RasmussenETAL_MishmiWrenbabbler.pdf – which is missing in the references.
2. An additional point to be made is the map used in BLI – where there is considerable extent from Mishmi hills towards Udayak pass where the original type locality of the species lies. However, there are no reports since the original collection though that area is relatively under-surveyed compared to the roadside Mishmi hills. Hence, there is an uncertainty on the current EOO – and hence it could be lower than 5,300 sq. km by about 20-30%
3. I agree that the density estimates for a Spelaeornis is likely to be high in ideal habitats – and c. 25 singing males per sq . km. may even be an undercount for a species that do not hold large breeding territories. However, what is not clear is what qualifies as an ideal habitat . Not all forest types suit the species and the extent of ideal habitat to multiply density estimates is unavailable.
Hence, there is some uncertainty on both current EOO and area of available habitat for the species and it may perhaps be worthwhile to apply the precautionary principle to retain the current threat status.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now temporarily closed and we are unable to accept any more comments until 6 February 2023. We will now analyse and interpret new information, and we will post a preliminary decision on this species’ Red List status on this page on 6 February 2023, when discussions will re-open.
Preliminary proposal
We thank contributors for their comments. In response: the reference (Rasmussen et al. 2017) mentioned has now been added to the species account and justification; and, in reponse to comments made by Praveen J, a map edit is underway. Nonetheless, this does not change the overall conclusion that rates of forest cover loss in its range remain low, and the species is unlikely to be confined to fewer than 10 Locations (as per IUCN Guidelines). Based on available information, our preliminary proposal for the 2023 Red List would be to adopt the proposed classifications outlined in the initial forum discussion.
There is now a period for further comments until the final deadline on 12 February 2023, after which the recommended categorisations will be put forward to IUCN.
The final 2023 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in December 2023, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments. We will analyse and interpret available information, and we will post a final decision on this species’ Red List status on this page on 20 February 2023.
Recommended categorisation to be put forward to IUCN
The final categorisation for this species has not changed. Rusty-throated Wren-babbler is recommended to be listed as Near Threatened, approaching the threshold for listing as threatened under Criterion B1b(iii).
Many thanks for everyone who contributed to the 2023.1 GTB Forum process. The final 2023 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in December 2023, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.