Proposed revisions to Australian endemics based on forthcoming Status of Australian Birds
The following Australian endemic species have been proposed for reassessment following a comprehensive reassessment of the Status of Australian Birds (Garnett, S.T. and Szabo, J. in press. Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010. CSIRO, Melbourne)
Reassessment of the status of Australian species was undertaken through a review of all peer-reviewed and unpublished literature for the last ten years and through consultation with experts on each taxon either individually or in workshops held in every major Australian city during 2010.
Is the Night Parrot Pezoporus occidentalis more likely to be Endangered than Critically Endangered?
Currently listed as Critically Endangered D (population suspected to number <50 mature individuals), an expert panel recently estimated all IUCN Red List parameters for this species based on advice from local experts and published data. While there was a high level of uncertainty, they concluded that the species more closely met the criteria for EN B2ab(iii)c(ii,iii,iv), D because that AOO is probably very small (provisionally estimated at 500km2), scattered among few locations and probably fluctuates greatly while the overall condition of the habitat is thought to be declining. This change in status would be based on new knowledge: putative and specimen-based sightings at widely separated sites suggest that a population estimate of <50 mature individuals is untenable.
