Justification of Red List category
This species is listed as Near Threatened because there are some indications that it has a moderately small, fragmented population, and it may be undergoing a continuing decline owing to trapping and forest loss. However, little is currently known about the population size and structure, and threats to this species. Further information is needed to improve the accuracy of this assessment.
Population justification
Lambert et al. (1993) estimated a maximum of 10,000 individuals, and so the population size is placed in the band 2,500-9,999 individuals here. This equates to 1,667-6,666 mature individuals, rounded here to 1,500-7,000 mature individuals.
Trend justification
The population is suspected to be in decline owing to trapping for the cagebird trade and habitat degradation from agricultural expansion and logging pressures.
Tanygnathus lucionensis is confined to the Philippines, where there are records from at least 45 islands, plus the Talaud Islands, Indonesia, and islands off north-east Borneo belonging to Malaysia (Collar et al. 1999). It was common on most islands in the Philippines a century or less ago, but has suffered declines since on such a scale that it is now rare or extinct on many islands. However, while not a small-island specialist it does survive in small pockets of habitat on the smaller islands, so that its status overall is difficult to assess. Moreover, it is still fairly numerous in some areas of Palawan and on Tawitawi, and high numbers persist in a large tract of forest on Talaud. The total population was provisionally estimated to be below 10,000 individuals in 1993 (Lambert et al. 1993).
It is a bird of closed and open forest formations, including second growth, coconut plantations, banana patches and mangrove, chiefly in lowland and coastal areas, up to 1,000 m. It is usually found in flocks of up to 12 individuals which roost communally and make regular dawn and dusk flights between feeding and roosting areas. It feeds in fruiting trees on nuts, fruits, berries and also on grain in other habitats. Nesting takes place in a hole in a tree in April-June.
It has declined through trapping (for both domestic and international trade) and habitat loss owing to agricultural expansion, logging pressure and development (Q. Phillipps in litt. 2012). The species may also be hunted with air guns, though this may only be a minor threat (Q. Phillipps in litt. 2012).
Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix II. It occurs in several national parks within the Philippines: Bataan, Quezon and Minalungaw, and is relatively common within St Paul's Subterranean River National Park, Palawan.
Text account compilers
Bird, J., Taylor, J., Westrip, J., Benstead, P., Mahood, S.
Contributors
Phillipps, Q.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Blue-naped Parrot Tanygnathus lucionensis. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/blue-naped-parrot-tanygnathus-lucionensis 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.