Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species has an extremely large range and the population size is extremely large, hence does not approach threatened thresholds for the range or population size criteria. The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion. For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Population justification
In Europe, the total population size is estimated at 902,000-2,670,000 mature individuals, with 451,000-1,340,000 breeding pairs (BirdLife International 2021), and comprises approximately 80% of the species' global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is between 1,130,000-3,340,000 mature individuals, although further validation of this estimate is desirable. Europe holds most of the species' global range, but despite the data collated the population trend there is unknown (BirdLife International 2021). This species is considered to have a medium dependency on forest habitat, which is estimated to be declining at a slow rate within its mapped range (Global Forest Watch 2024).
Trend justification
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This species inhabits dry maquis areas of scattered trees and bushes, including olive (Olea) groves, wild plum (Prunus) orchards and other fruit trees and vineyards. It also uses parkland areas of open oak (Quercus) forests including scrub oak, beech (Fagus), willows (Salix) and poplars (Populus) and conifers, particularly spruce (Picea) and cedars (Cedrus), especially in areas of rocky limestone hills. It breeds from March to early August and is monogamous. The nest is a cup of wool, plant material, bark strips, animal hair and feathers, placed in a hole in a tree, often in rotting wood in a fruit tree but also among rocks on banks and will use nestboxes. Normally lays five to seven eggs. The diet is principally insects although it does consume seeds as well. The species is resident but there is some evidence of altitudinal movements in parts of the range (Gosler and Clement 2007).
In Armenia, the species is threatened by an increasing number of wild fires and the use of toxic agricultural chemicals (Aghasyan and Kalashyan 2010).
Conservation Actions Underway
Bern Convention Appendix II. There are currently no known conservation measures for this species in Europe.
Conservation Actions Proposed
Although this species is not currently threatened monitoring should be implemented to detect population changes and research undertaken to inform future conservation measures.
Text account compilers
Rutherford, C.A., Martin, R.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Sombre Tit Poecile lugubris. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/sombre-tit-poecile-lugubris on 22/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/11/2024.