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

Justification of Red List category
This species is believed to have a moderately small range, within which habitat is declining in extent and quality and as a result it is considered Near Threatened.

Population justification
The population size is unknown, but the species is described as common, especially at higher altitudes (del Hoyo et al. 2006).

Trend justification
The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

Eumyias sordidus is an endemic resident in the uplands of Sri Lanka, where it is generally common within its altitudinal range, but scarce at lower altitudes.

It occurs in well-wooded areas, at forest edges and sometimes in shady gardens from 1,220-1,830 m. During the non-breeding season it is occasionally recorded down to 450 m in the wetter lowlands. It forages for insects and berries, low down amongst undergrowth, but also on the ground among rocks. Breeding takes place between mid-March and September.

While it is resilient to forest degradation because of its preference for edge habitats, total clearance of habitat is a potential threat in its limited range. Forest on the island has suffered rapid degradation and fragmentation in the past decades through excessive gathering of fuelwood, clearance for permanent agriculture, shifting cultivation, fire urbanisation and logging. Closed-canopy forest is estimated to have declined from 29,000 km² (44% of the island's area) in 1956 to 12,260 km² in 1983. It is feared that this loss will continue and the status of this species therefore requires monitoring.

Conservation Actions Underway
No species-specific actions are known, but a number of protected areas occur within its range.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Assess rates of forest loss within its altitudinal range by remote sensing satellite images. Infer trend estimates based upon the findings. Generate density estimates within different habitats and use these to inform a global population estimate. If appropriate recommend the protection of key forest patches within its range.

Text account compilers
Benstead, P., Bird, J., Khwaja, N.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Dull-blue Flycatcher Eumyias sordidus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/dull-blue-flycatcher-eumyias-sordidus on 24/12/2024.
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 24/12/2024.