Birds which are 'living dead' (1 Viewer)

[jurek]

Which birds are have already not functional populations and are about to die out in few years? For example:

Edward's Pheasant - probably extinct in the wild, but breeds well in zoos.
Streseman's Bristlefront - only females (or a female) seen recent years.
Cebu Flowerpecker - only female seen recently, and may be a mis-identification.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Which birds are have already not functional populations and are about to die out in few years? For example:

Edward's Pheasant - probably extinct in the wild, but breeds well in zoos.
Streseman's Bristlefront - only females (or a female) seen recent years.
Cebu Flowerpecker - only female seen recently, and may be a mis-identification.

Madagascar Pochard, Hooded, Junin and Titicaca Grebes....

There are also a few species which continue to be illustrated in field guides though presumed extinct, Javan Lapwing, Pink-headed Duck, White-eyed River Martin, Ivory-billed Woodpecker..................

 

[kb57]

Indian birders certainly think Indian Bustard is on its way out in a few years, current mortality rates way above what the tiny remaining population can support.

 

[mummymonkey]

Several pufflegs have populations of only a few hundred individuals.

 

[pbjosh]

Madagascar Pochard, Hooded, Junin and Titicaca Grebes....

There are also a few species which continue to be illustrated in field guides though presumed extinct, Javan Lapwing, Pink-headed Duck, White-eyed River Martin, Ivory-billed Woodpecker..................

Hooded Grebe is increasing in population (with intensive management). I recall a number around 800-1000 birds when I last saw some news.

Madagascar Pochard is balanced on a knife's edge but perhaps has a chance.

Junin and Titicaca Grebes have a chance still, depends on management. I have the impression that Junin is in worse straights.

Stresemen's Bristlefront is pretty dire.

Alagoas Antwren is in rough shape.

Madagascar Serpent-Eagle has a population estimate of 15-20 birds?

 

[Andy Adcock]

Hooded Grebe is increasing in population (with intensive management). I recall a number around 800-1000 birds when I last saw some news.

Madagascar Pochard is balanced on a knife's edge but perhaps has a chance.

Junin and Titicaca Grebes have a chance still, depends on management. I have the impression that Junin is in worse straights.

Stresemen's Bristlefront is pretty dire.

Alagoas Antwren is in rough shape.

Madagascar Serpent-Eagle has a population estimate of 15-20 birds?

The last I read on this was that they were all on a small, muddy lake which couldn't sustain them and that a number of them had been caught for captive breeding?

 

[Nutcracker]

Eurasian Curlew recruitment rates are well below what is needed to maintain populations - very few breed successfully in either intensive agriculture (broods killed by farm machinery), or on grouse moors (wet areas drained).


Little Bustard and Montagu's Harriers also in steep decline due to minimal recruitment, intensive farming again to blame.

 

[Nightjar61]

The Iquitos Gnatcatcher is known only from eight square miles of white-sand forest near Iquitos, Peru. There are an estimated 15 to 50 pairs.

Dave

 

[THE_FERN]

The Iquitos Gnatcatcher is known only from eight square miles of white-sand forest near Iquitos, Peru. There are an estimated 15 to 50 pairs.

Dave

Luckily, the locals have decided to improve the habitat by putting fertiliser on the white sands... As with many other rare species you will be invited to pay them for their efforts in "safeguarding" the environment. The fact that in many cases they are there illegally isn't important.

(But I'm not sure I believe this really is a distinct species)

 

[KC Foggin]

The Least Terns are declining here!

 

[temmie]

Grebes and Pochard not on the level of the Bristlefront and still breeding.
Serpent eagle numbers are very low, but it occurs in protected areas and I don't see the (low estimated) population crashing anytime soon.

A living dead for me is a species that is not breeding, or below any possible level of keeping a liveable population.
So it should have a well-known population in the low 20s or maybe even less than 10, and not enough habitat to ever get over 50 again.

For some years I thought Orange-bellied parrot was a candidate as even the breeding program couldn't help the sharp population decline, but they seem to be able to breed them very well in captivity by now, and not all hope is lost.

Western Siberian Crane population (one bird) is not a species by itself, but as this bird is the only one knowing the migration route, I feel some part of the species is extinct if that bird dies. Same for the bald ibises in Syria.

Birds that are close to the threshold or maybe even there are Great Indian Bustard, Jerdon's Courser, some parrots, starlings and songbirds in Indonesia, birds on Sangihe, Silvery Wood-pigeon, Javan green magpie, Sulu Hornbill, Black-eared miner (through hybridisation), some Petrels, lorikeets and Monarch on small oceanic islands, about all of the Hawaiian honeycreepers with some exceptions (Poo-uli, Ou, Nukupuu, Oahu Alauahio), Cozumel Thrasher, Semper's Warbler, Glaucous and Spix's Macaw, Alagoas Foliage-gleaner, Cone-billed tanager...

Some seedeaters from S-America are going the same way as songbirds in Asia: enough habitat but they are simply taken away faster from the wild that they can reproduce (Yellow Cardinal, Marsh seedeater, some seedfinches,...)

 

[YuShan]

I was wondering if anybody here has seen a bird alive in the wild that is now (assumed to be) extinct?

 

[Andy Adcock]

Grebes and Pochard not on the level of the Bristlefront and still breeding.

Birds that are close to the threshold or maybe even there are Great Indian Bustard, Jerdon's Courser, some parrots, starlings and songbirds in Indonesia, birds on Sangihe, Silvery Wood-pigeon, Javan green magpie, Sulu Hornbill, Black-eared miner (through hybridisation), some Petrels, lorikeets and Monarch on small oceanic islands, about all of the Hawaiian honeycreepers with some exceptions (Poo-uli, Ou, Nukupuu, Oahu Alauahio), Cozumel Thrasher, Semper's Warbler, Glaucous and Spix's Macaw, Alagoas Foliage-gleaner, Cone-billed tanager...

Some seedeaters from S-America are going the same way as songbirds in Asia: enough habitat but they are simply taken away faster from the wild that they can reproduce (Yellow Cardinal, Marsh seedeater, some seedfinches,...)

The Pochard was down to 20-30 birds, not sure how you get the idea that it's not on the verge of extinction? The lake on which they were rediscovered, had very little natural food and could not support them in the long term.

https://waronwildlife.co.uk/2020/01/27/madagascar-pochard-the-worlds-rarest-duck/

Re Spix's Macaw, that's already gone in the wild hasn't it?

I agree about Asia completely, over populated Islands, forest clearance for farming and illegal logging plus the every popular, cage bird trade, makes it hard to find birds anywhere now.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I was wondering if anybody here has seen a bird alive in the wild that is now (assumed to be) extinct?

Not me personally but there are people who have seen Atitlan Grebe, Spix's Macaw, Bachman's Warbler and Slender-billed Curlew and probably a few more.

Not sure when White-eyed River Martin was last seen?

 

[THE_FERN]

Don't think there have been credible reports of Glaucous macaw for many decades?

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

I was wondering if anybody here has seen a bird alive in the wild that is now (assumed to be) extinct?

I suspect there are many who've seen Cozumel Thrasher since that was only assumed to be extinct in the last few years.

WRT to Iquitos Gnatcatcher, if that does go extinct, I'll be added to the list of birders who've seen a bird that went extinct. And I do not want to be a member of that club.

Sadly, a local college here with a large ornithological collection has a cabinet they call the "Hall of Shame." It includes Passenger Pigeon, Bachman's Warbler, Carolina Parakeet, Heath Hen, and Ivory-billed Woodpecker among others. |=(|

 

[temmie]

The Pochard was down to 20-30 birds, not sure how you get the idea that it's not on the verge of extinction? The lake on which they were rediscovered, had very little natural food and could not support them in the long term.

https://waronwildlife.co.uk/2020/01/27/madagascar-pochard-the-worlds-rarest-duck/

Regarding the Pochard, maybe my initial guess was a bit optimistic, because I witnessed those 18 ducks back in 2011 in the breeding facility. I saw the succes that year and I reckoned it shouldn't be too difficult to increase the population with ducks from the breeding facility.

Ofcourse, the main problem is the lack of suitable habitat at Bemenevika: the lake at that site is just too poor in food resource for more than a handful of ducks. So reading the article you linked, and while there is obvious concern with such a small population, I feel there is renewed hope to expand the population on lake Sofia.

 

[Diane D]

Madagascar Pochard, Hooded, Junin and Titicaca Grebes....

There are also a few species which continue to be illustrated in field guides though presumed extinct, Javan Lapwing, Pink-headed Duck, White-eyed River Martin, Ivory-billed Woodpecker..................

There are at least 40 Madagascar Pochards. I have been researching easier way to get to one of the remaining areas there at. It would be about 60 MI by motorcycle or truck from a fairly accessible town. Can't really get an answer from the guide.

Also controversial but highly likelythere's some ivy bills left. That's Ivory-billed woodpeckers.

 

[Diane D]

There are at least 40 Madagascar Pochards. I have been researching easier way to get to one of the remaining areas there at. It would be about 60 MI by motorcycle or truck from a fairly accessible town. Can't really get an answer from the guide.

Also controversial but highly likelythere's some ivy bills left. That's Ivory-billed woodpeckers.

Almost all field guides had the ivory billed woodpecker illustrated. One modern illustrator was certainly embarrassed he left it out after it was rediscovered. Seen and heard by many. I think that caused some of his aggravation or skepticism of this illustrator. He is not a scientist.

The US fish and wildlife tried to placate him by using his illustration to look for the bird. But amazingly his drawings are not to the correct scale, he has the ivy Bill woodpecker much bigger than it should be compared to the pileated on his plate.

He also had the feet/toes positioned wrong at least originally. I'm sure he corrected it after he was embarrassed by that.

 

[THE_FERN]

There are at least 40 Madagascar Pochards. I have been researching easier way to get to one of the remaining areas there at. It would be about 60 MI by motorcycle or truck from a fairly accessible town. Can't really get an answer from the guide.

Also controversial but highly likelythere's some ivy bills left. That's Ivory-billed woodpeckers.

We were in Madagascar in 1992 when the presumed last Pochard in the world was in someone's garden in 'Tana. Can't remember which conservation organisation they were affiliated with. They refused to let us see it. It died fairly soon afterwards. I was thrilled when the species was rediscovered...