Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species has a large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence under 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). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (under 10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be over 10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). 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 (over 30% decline over ten years or three generations). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Population justification
The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as uncommon and local (del Hoyo et al. 2004). This species is considered to have a medium dependency on forest habitat, and tree cover is estimated to have declined by 12.2% within its mapped range over the past 10 years (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). Therefore, as a precautionary measure, it is tentatively suspected that this loss of cover may have led to a decline of between 1-19% in the species' population size over the same time frame.
Trend justification
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This species is found in west-central Africa where it is known from southern Democratic Republic of Congo from Bolobo and Kwamouth, south-east to Kananga, Lubilashi and Lubishi Rivers, near Salonga National Park (Mills and Cohen 2007), Luluabourg and elsewhere in the Kasai (Keith et al. 1992), southern Congo from the Congo River at Nganchu (near Ngabé), Gamakala (north of Brazzaville), and further away from the Congo River at Djambala (F. Dowsett-Lemaire 1997b), and the central highlands of Angola (Keith et al. 1992, Mills and Cohen 2007).
the species is found near rivers and, in the non-breeding season, often associates with Lesser Striped-Swallow Hirundo abyssinica feeding over rivers on flying insects, e.g. termites (Chapin 1953). It nests in small groups in tunnels in sandy river-banks, the breeding season being July-October, at the beginning of the wet season before river-levels rises sufficiently to flood the nest-sites (Chapin 1953). It is not known to migrate (Chapin 1953). It appears to utilise open habitats, is suspected to be tolerant of some human-induced alteration of habitat.
Although few large colonies are known and it is almost undoubtedly subject to some human predation (F. Dowsett-Lemaire in litt. 1997), its large range and tolerance of degraded habitats probably mean that it is not under any immediate risk.
Text account compilers
Rutherford, C.A.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Brazza's Martin Phedinopsis brazzae. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/brazzas-martin-phedinopsis-brazzae 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.