Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species is considered highly sensitive to changes in its páramo and puna habitat. With native vegetation being increasingly converted to agricultural land and climate change altering precipitation regimes, it is suspected that the species is undergoing moderately rapid declines. It is therefore assessed as Near Threatened.
Population justification
The species is described as uncommon and local (Medrano and Pyle 2023).
In 2001 the population in Ecuador was estimated at 52 individuals (Olmedo-Gordón 2001, in Naveda-Rodríguez et al. 2020). From point counts in Antisana National Park (Ecuador), the population was estimated at 85 (63-117) individuals in 2016, at 94 (32-125) individuals in 2017, and at 134 (77-210) individuals in 2018 (Naveda-Rodríguez et al. 2020). Considering that Antisana is described as the species' stronghold in Ecuador (Medrano and Pyle 2023), these values are here considered are rough proxy for the national population in Ecuador.
The population in Peru and Bolivia has not been quantified. Assuming that the densities observed in Ecuador are representative for the entire range, and considering that Ecuador covers about 1-2% of the global range, the total population may have numbered around 4,250-13,400 individuals in 2016-2018. This roughly equates to 2,800-8,900 mature individuals, which is here placed in the band 2,500-9,999 mature individuals. It should be noted however that there is large uncertainty around this value, and an accurate quantification of the global population size is urgently required.
Trend justification
The population trend has not been investigated. The species is generally considered sensitive to habitat degradation and loss, and it is therefore suspected that the species is undergoing a decline (Collar and Bird 2011, Medrano and Pyle 2023). Andean grassland and shrubland are progressively lost: in the Antisana region in Ecuador conversion into agricultural land has increased dramatically in the three generations (26.3 years) between 1991 and 2017; during that period, a total of 18% of native habitat was converted into cropland and pasture (Thompson et al. 2021). In other areas, páramo conversion is ongoing at a similar rate. In south-central Ecuador (outside of the species' current range), 20% of páramo was lost to agriculture during 1999-2014 (Ross et al. 2017). Andean wetlands are further lost due to climate change, as changes in rainfall patterns and increasingly arid conditions lead to a drying-up of wetlands (Otto and Gibbons 2017).
Localised hunting may have further compounded past declines, though this pressure has now been reduced and is unlikely to negatively impact the population (Medrano and Pyle 2023). Data from Ecuador, where the species used to be hunted, appear to show a genuine recovery in the population since a hunting ban came into place: On Antisana volcano the population increased from c. 85 individuals in 2016 to 94 individuals in 2017 and 134 individuals in 2018 (Naveda-Rodríguez et al. 2020). Apart from a reduction in hunting pressure the authors attribute this increase to favourable weather conditions over this period and an increase in gross primary productivity.
As the population in Ecuador comprises only about 1% of the global population this local increase is unlikely to affect the global population trend, though it proves the species' high sensitivity to changes in environmental conditions. Consequently, in the absence of an exact quantification of the overall rate of habitat loss or population change across the range, it is tentatively suspected that the species has declined by 20-29% over the past three generations (1997-2023), and that this is ongoing at roughly the same rate into the near future.
Theristicus branickii occurs in the highlands of Ecuador, mainly around Antisana volcano, in Peru from Huascarán (Ancash) south to Puno, and to west Bolivia to Cochabamba (Schulenberg et al. 2007, Herzog et al. 2016, Freile and Restall 2018). There are occasional extralimital records of single individuals or small groups in the extreme north of Chile and Argentina, though it is unclear whether these refer to vagrant individuals or to established populations (Müller et al. 2021, Medrano and Pyle 2023).
The species occurs in Andean puna and páramo habitat from 3,700-4,500 m. It is typically found in open humid grasslands or bogs near rocky outcrops that are used for roosting and breeding (Schulenberg et al. 2007, Herzog et al. 2016, Medrano and Pyle 2023). It feeds on invertebrates or small mammals (Medrano and Pyle 2023).
The major threat to the species is the degradation and loss of habitat, mainly for conversion into cropland and pasture (Ross et al. 2017, Thompson et al. 2021, Medrano and Pyle 2023). Habitat loss is further compounded by climate change, as changes in rainfall patterns and increasingly arid conditions lead to a drying-up of high-altitude wetlands (Otto and Gibbons 2017). At least in the past the species was hunted in Ecuador, though hunting pressure has now decreased considerably with the creation of Antisana National Park (Medrano and Pyle 2023).
Conservation and research actions underway
The species is listed as Critically Endangered at the national level in Ecuador (Freile et al. 2019). It occurs in several protected areas across its range, including in Antisana National Park in Ecuador, the creation of which has greatly reduced hunting pressure.
Conservation and research actions proposed
Survey to obtain an accurate population estimate, particularly for the population in Peru and Bolivia. Research the impact of climate change on Andean wetlands, and with that, on the population trend. Monitor the population trend.
Effectively protect significant areas of suitable habitat at key sites, in both strictly protected areas and community-led multiple-use areas. Develop campaigns to raise awareness for the species.
74-75 cm. Large, striking buff-coloured ibis of high altitude dry habitats. Similar species. T. melanopis has paler wing coverts, more extensive black on belly and often shows a black throat wattle.
Text account compilers
Hermes, C.
Contributors
Barrio, J., Symes, A. & Taylor, J.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Andean Ibis Theristicus branickii. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/andean-ibis-theristicus-branickii on 18/12/2024.
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 18/12/2024.