VU
Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
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
- - A2bce+3ce+4bce

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2022 Vulnerable A2bce+3ce+4bce
2018 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2008 Near Threatened A2b,c,e
2004 Near Threatened
2000 Lower Risk/Near Threatened
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

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

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 1,175,000 km2 medium
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident) 12,500 km2
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 68000-272000, 136000 mature individuals poor estimated 2020
Population trend decreasing good inferred 2016-2026
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 30-49% - - -
Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 30-49% - - -
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 30-49% - - -
Generation length 2.3 years - - -
Number of subpopulations 3-20 - - -
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation 1-89% - - -

Population justification: The population sizes here follow estimations made by Hodder et al. (2021), who applied densities recorded in 2-ha 20-minute surveys (2.72±SD 2.99; BirdLife Australia 2020) to three measures of AOO: the minimum is the number of 2x2 km squares with records since 1990, the best estimate is double this value to account for unsurveyed area, and the maximum is four times this. Within each 1 km2, four hectares of suitable habitat was assumed. While the actual area occupied may have been less than four hectares and densities higher than in the broader landscape, many areas with birds have undoubtedly not been surveyed. The population is therefore estimated at 68,000-272,000 mature individuals, with a best estimate of 136,000 (Hodder et al. 2021). However, the reliability of these estimates is considered low (S. Garnett in litt. 2021).

Trend justification: Although reporting rates were stable between BirdLife Australia Atlases (Barrett et al. 2002), Diamond Firetails are one of a suite of taxa considered to be declining in south-eastern Australia. Historical contractions in the range have been matched by declines around Adelaide (Paton et al. 1994) and in western New South Wales and northern Victoria (Reid 1999, Olsen et al. 2005) where reporting rates declined in parts of New South Wales that had been more intensively developed (Barrett et al. 2007). Recent trends in reporting rates across the range of the species are consistent with this: from 2000–2019, reporting rates from 2-ha 20-minute counts and 500-m area searches declined by 58% and 46%, respectively (2000–2009: 40% and 41%; 2010–2019: 35% and 7%). However, not all regional results are consistent. In the Mt Lofty Ranges, abundance in 151 2-ha plots monitored annually 2001–2016 declined by about 2% per year (see Hodder et al. 2021), equivalent to 19-20% over 10 years. In north-east New South Wales, reporting rates at 41 sites declined from 18% in 1977–1980 to 12% in 2004–2006 (Gosper and Gosper 2016) and 0% in 2020 (Hodder et al. 2021). However, there was no significant change in reporting rates from 2-ha 20-min surveys for 1999–2013 for the Brigalow Belt or South-east Mainland regions (BirdLife Australia 2015); there was a strongly significant increase of 10% p.a. in surveys during 2000–2015 at over 165 sites in southern New South Wales (Lindenmayer et al. 2018); and drought had no impact on reporting rates in central New South Wales (Ellis and Taylor 2014). Reporting rates in the Australian Capital Territory show a six-fold fluctuation, with peaks in 1987–1996 and 2006–2011 and a trough in 2000–2006 and a steady decline from 2011–2017 (Canberra Ornithologists Group 2020). Combining and evaluating these trends and analyses, Hodder et al. (2021) estimated a global rate of decline of 30-49% over the past three generations and, given no indication of stability or cessation of threats, this same rate is precautionarily suspected to occur into the future.


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

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Australia Barmah-Millewa
Australia Bendigo Box-Ironbark Region
Australia Bundarra-Barraba
Australia Capertee Valley
Australia Goonoo
Australia Greater Blue Mountains
Australia Little Desert
Australia Maryborough-Dunolly Box-Ironbark Region
Australia Mudgee-Wollar
Australia Patho Plains
Australia Pilliga
Australia Puckapunyal
Australia Rushworth Box-Ironbark Region
Australia South-west Slopes of NSW
Australia St Arnaud Box-Ironbark Region
Australia Traprock
Australia Warby-Chiltern Box-Ironbark Region

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable resident
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Dry major resident
Savanna Dry major resident
Altitude 0 - 1180 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Agro-industry farming Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Rapid Declines Medium Impact: 7
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Agriculture & aquaculture Livestock farming & ranching - Agro-industry grazing, ranching or farming Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Rapid Declines Medium Impact: 6
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Unknown Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Nassella trichotoma Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Unspecified species Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Problematic native species/diseases - Neochmia temporalis Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Competition
Natural system modifications Other ecosystem modifications Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture international

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/diamond-firetail-stagonopleura-guttata on 03/12/2024.
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 03/12/2024.