The conservation status of the Blue-backed Parrot Tanygnathus everetti, a species endemic to the Philippines, has long been obscured by its former taxonomic status as a subspecies of the Azure-rumped Parrot T. sumatranus of Sulawesi, Indonesia. A detailed review of evidence from museum material and birdwatchers' records indicates it is known from Luzon, Polillo Islands, Panay, Negros, Samar, Leyte, Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago. There is no evidence it survives on Luzon, Polillo Islands, Panay, Negros and Leyte. On Samar its numbers have dwindled towards extinction but it is likely to survive in tiny numbers (total <100) in the illegally logged Samar Island Natural Park (SINP). On Mindanao it has virtually disappeared from the only known predictable site, the PICOP logging concession at Bislig, and the few records elsewhere suggest <100 persist on the island. In the Sulu archipelago, it may survive in tiny numbers (<50) on Jolo (Bud Dajo National Park) and Tawi-Tawi in the Malum watershed. Records are mainly from primary lowland forest below 450 m, and it appears much less adapted to more open forest formations than its relative, the Blue-naped Parrot T. lucionensis. The almost total clearance of lowland forest in the Philippines, especially primary formations, is assumed to have greatly constrained its distribution and numbers. However, this has been compounded by a barely documented but evidently relentless trade in wild-caught birds. Legal protection for the last vestiges of forests holding this species is called for. SINP needs immediate protection from rampant logging and any poaching. An intensive survey of anticipated and known key sites is urgent, along with a broadscale community campaign to discourage the catching and keeping of parrots, plus an active search for captive birds to form an ex situ conservation breeding initiative. Any such initiative should keep the population on the Sulu archipelago (subspecies burbidgii) separate from T. everetti found in the rest of the Philippine islands, as they are so different.
The Sulawesi Subregion was traditionally thought to be home to a single, resident Phylloscopus leaf warbler. However, recent exploration has revealed an additional three species, two of which have only very recently been described: Taliabu Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus emilsalimi and Peleng Leaf Warbler P. suaramerdu from the outlying islands of Taliabu and Peleng, respectively. The third, 'Selayar Leaf Warbler', remains undescribed, but here we provide the first bioacoustical documentation of its unique song, along with recommending that Sulawesi Leaf Warbler P. sarasinorum sensu lato should be regarded as two species: Lompobattang Leaf Warbler P. sarasinorum and Sulawesi Leaf Warbler P. nesophilus, based on distinct bioacoustics and morphology.
A Chinese Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus yunnanensis was sound-recorded on Baekryeong Island, Incheon, South Korea, on 1 and 2 May 2020. This is the first adequately-documented national record of the species. The calls and song of this species are diagnostic, and identification in the field based on these vocalisations was straightforward and immediate. However, there is a strong prevalence in East Asia to place much higher value on records confirmed by photographs, specimens or in-the-hand measurements than on records documented only with sound-recordings. We therefore analysed the recordings to confirm the bird's identity. While the origins of a preference for visual documentation are understandable, a wider acceptance of the value of sound-recordings in documenting the presence or absence of species will likely prove immensely helpful in improving the understanding of the distribution, abundance and conservation status of many taxa which are morphologically extremely similar.
The Masked Finfoot Heliopais personatus is among Asia's most threatened waterbirds. The species formerly ranged widely across north-east India, Bangladesh and South-East Asia, but recent records are few. In this review, we aim to address the gaps in knowledge on the conservation status and ecology of the Masked Finfoot by (1) synthesizing recent information on its occurrence in all range states, (2) re-estimating the global population based on best guesses of national populations, and (3) identifying priority conservation actions. Based on a combination of our survey data (Bangladesh) and best-guess estimates from key sites, we estimate the current population at 108-304 individuals, far lower than the last estimate of 600-1,700 individuals in 2009. Our estimate of population size and rate of decline indicates that Masked Finfoot should be uplisted to Critically Endangered. Masked Finfoot may now breed only in Bangladesh and Cambodia, and there have been no records within the past five years in Malaysia and Thailand, where it once occurred regularly, despite a marked increase in observer effort. Habitat loss and disturbance is the single most important threat to the Masked Finfoot (and many riverine waterbird species), given that low-lying, forested wetlands across South-East Asia are increasingly encroached upon by human activities, or are cleared. There is an urgent need to re-survey areas where it was formerly known, especially in Myanmar. All remaining known breeding populations must be adequately protected or it may become Asia's next avian extinction.
The Ayeyarwady River, Myanmar, is exceptionally important for waterbirds and other riverine species. Results from mid-winter boat-based surveys in 2017-2019 demonstrated the high conservation value of the river's avifauna. We recorded a total of 83 waterbird species and 18 species listed as Globally Threatened (7) or Near Threatened (11) under IUCN criteria, 16 of which were waterbirds. Counts of many waterbird species were in numbers high enough for the designation of seven river sections as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The middle reaches of the Ayeyarwady River between Myitkyina and Bagan hosted more than 40,000 waterbirds in 2019, qualifying this stretch for Ramsar designation under Criterion 5. However, these numbers were already considerably reduced compared to those regularly observed in similar surveys between 2000 and 2007. Species present in this earlier period, such as Masked Finfoot Heliopais personatus, Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis and Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus, were not recorded during the more recent surveys, and appear to have declined or disappeared. The waterbird species with the highest counts were Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis and Little Pratincole Glareola lactea, but counts of the shelduck and the pratincole have declined in recent years. Some nesting species, such as the Globally Threatened Black-bellied Tern Sterna acuticauda and River Tern S. aurantia, appear to be on the brink of extinction on this river, and Indian Skimmer Rynchops albicollis may have already been lost as a breeder. The river is subject to a wide range of increasing pressures from a growing human population, including agriculture, gold mining, sand and pebble abstraction and poaching, and high levels of disturbance associated with these activities, contributing to apparent declines of several species. Recommendations for urgent conservation action include the designation of Ramsar sites, and establishment of community-based conservation areas.
