Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species has a very restricted range with a small population that is suspected to be declining as a result of ongoing declines in the area and quality of its habitat. It is therefore assessed as Near Threatened.
Population justification
The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as fairly common (Dutson 2011) and is precautionarily suspected to number 2,500-7,000 mature individuals (Clement et al. 2020).
Trend justification
Significant forest loss and associated considerable degradation on Djaul in the recent past is considered to be driving a slow but significant continuing decline in the population. Remote sensing data (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein) indicate that in the ten years to 2021, forest loss in this species' range has been equivalent to c.2-3%, and this is thought to be continuing. Steeper declines in 2021 suggest that this could accelerate to a rate equivalent to c.4-5% over ten years in the future. Population declines are suspected to be roughly equivalent to the rate of tree cover loss. The current rate of population decline is therefore placed in the range 1-9% over ten years.
Symposiachrus ateralbus is restricted to the island of Djaul, off the southern coast of northwest New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. The species was recorded during visits to the island in 1964, 1996 and 2007 (Dutson 2007), and several times since. Together with S. verticalis it was considered fairly common in closed canopy forest but less common in secondary forest (Dutson 2011).
It occurs at much higher densities in primary forest than in secondary forest on Djaul (Dutson 2011).
There remains a reasonable percentage of forest on Djaul, however there is ongoing forest loss within its range (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein) from which a slow but ongoing population decline is suspected.
Conservation Actions Underway
No targeted conservation actions for this species are known.
Conservation Actions Proposed
Conduct research to determine population size. A reasonable sized area of primary forest needs to be protected and removed from inclusion in logging concessions.
Text account compilers
Vine, J.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Species factsheet: Djaul Monarch Symposiachrus ateralbus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/djaul-monarch-symposiachrus-ateralbus on 07/01/2025.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2025) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 07/01/2025.