Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic source(s)
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
Christidis, L.; Boles, W. E. 2008. Systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
del Hoyo, J.; Collar, N. J.; Christie, D. A.; Elliott, A.; Fishpool, L. D. C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.
IUCN Red list criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
Migratory status |
nomadic |
Forest dependency |
Does not normally occur in forest |
Land mass type |
Land-mass type - Australia
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: The population is almost impossible to assess due to its extreme fluctuations. In years when rats are numerous the species can breed rapidly and be abundant. When rat populations crash following the onset of drought, birds are forced into areas that are outside their normal range and eventually most perish. Little is known about the intervening lean times when the species is rarely seen and populations may fall near to 1,000 individuals. Its population size generally remains between 1,000-10,000 individuals, roughly equivalent to 670-6,700 mature individuals.
Trend justification: Population cycles appear to be linked to those of the principal prey, the plague rat Rattus villossimus, which has population explosions following high rainfall (Olsen 1995). These explosions in population and range rarely last for more than a year, after which the species's distribution again contracts (Garnett 1993). Despite such fluctuations the species is regarded as secure (Garnett 1993).
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2022) Species factsheet: Elanus scriptus. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 01/07/2022.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2022) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 01/07/2022.