LC
South Island Saddleback Philesturnus carunculatus



Taxonomy

Taxonomic note

Philesturnus carunculatus and P. rufusater (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) were previously lumped as P. carunculatus following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993) and Turbott (1990).

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2022 Least Concern
2016 Near Threatened D2
Species attributes

Migratory status not a migrant Forest dependency medium
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 94,000 km2 medium
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident) 304 km2
Number of locations 20-100 -
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 5000 mature individuals medium suspected 2020
Population trend increasing - inferred -
Generation length 4.56 years - - -
Number of subpopulations 20-100 - - -
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation 1-89% - - -

Population justification: The population is suspected to have recently surpassed 5,000 mature individuals as a result of ongoing conservation management, with the 2020 Conservation status of New Zealand birds (Robertson et al. 2021) now placing the population in the bracket 5,000-20,000 mature individuals (the species was placed at 1,000-5,000 in 2016). The estimate of 5,000 mature individuals is followed here.

Trend justification: The population is inferred to be increasing owing to documented translocations and intensive conservation action such that it now numbers over 5,000 mature individuals (Robertson et al. 2021), and additional translocations are ongoing to predator-free islands where the species can quickly become abundant (Masuda and Jamieson 2013).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
New Zealand extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Forest Temperate major resident
Shrubland Temperate suitable resident
Altitude 0 - 150 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Felis catus Timing Scope Severity Impact
Past, Unlikely to Return Majority (50-90%) Rapid Declines Past Impact
Stresses
Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Plasmodium relictum Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Rattus exulans Timing Scope Severity Impact
Past, Likely to Return Minority (<50%) Rapid Declines Past Impact
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Rattus norvegicus Timing Scope Severity Impact
Past, Likely to Return Minority (<50%) Rapid Declines Past Impact
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Rattus rattus Timing Scope Severity Impact
Past, Likely to Return Minority (<50%) Rapid Declines Past Impact
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Viral/prion-induced diseases - Avipoxvirus Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Species mortality
Natural system modifications Fire & fire suppression - Increase in fire frequency/intensity Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Species mortality

Utilisation
Purpose Primary form used Life stage used Source Scale Level Timing
Pets/display animals, horticulture - - international non-trivial recent

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Philesturnus carunculatus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/south-island-saddleback-philesturnus-carunculatus on 19/03/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org on 19/03/2024.