• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Justification of Red List category
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (extent of occurrence <20,000 km² combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Population justification
Ferguson-Lees and Christie (2001) estimate the global population to be around 100,000 individuals, roughly equating to 67,000 mature individuals. National population sizes have been estimated at c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs in China and c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs in Taiwan, China (Brazil 2009). In the absence of information from other parts of its range, it is placed in the band 40,000-400,000 mature individuals

Trend justification
The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing forest loss (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). During 2001-2020, 8.9% forest cover was lost across this species’s range (Global Forest Watch 2021), equating to a loss of 5.9% over three generations (12.48 years [Bird et al. 2020]). During 2016-2020, 3.3% of forest cover was lost (Global Forest Watch 2021), equivalent to 10.3% when projected forward over three generations. This species is highly dependent on forest habitats (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). There are currently no other known threats to the species, therefore it is suspected to be declining at a similar rate to forest loss.

Deforestation in lowland India, the Philippines and Java represents the main threat to this species (Clark and Marks 2014).

Conservation actions underway 
Accipiter virgatus is listed on CITES Appendix II, CMS Appendix II and Raptors MoU Category 2.

Text account compilers
Haskell, L.

Contributors
Ashpole, J, Everest, J., Harding, M., Butchart, S. & Ekstrom, J.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Besra Accipiter virgatus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/besra-accipiter-virgatus 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.