LC
Fan-tailed Grassbird Catriscus brevirostris



Taxonomy

Taxonomic note
Previously sometimes considered conspecific with S. platyurus but shown by Alström et al. (2018) to be better placed in its own genus. Subspecies alexinae intergrades with nominate. Two subspecies recognized.

Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2021. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 6. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v6_Dec21.zip.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2024 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status not a migrant Forest dependency does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 14,100,000 km2
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 11,700,000 km2
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown - - -
Population trend decreasing - suspected -
Generation length 2.7 years - - -

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as fairly common but rather local (del Hoyo et al. 2006). The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat loss and degradation (del Hoyo et al. 2006).

Trend justification: The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat loss and degradation (del Hoyo et al. 2006).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Angola extant native yes
Burundi extant native yes
Cameroon extant native yes
Congo extant native yes
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the extant native yes
Eswatini extant native yes
Ethiopia extant native yes
Gabon extant native yes
Guinea extant native yes
Kenya extant native yes
Lesotho extant native yes
Liberia extant native yes
Malawi extant native yes
Mozambique extant native yes
Nigeria extant native yes
Rwanda extant native yes
Sierra Leone extant native yes
South Africa extant native yes
South Sudan extant native yes
Sudan extant native yes
Tanzania extant native yes
Uganda extant native yes
Zambia extant native yes
Zimbabwe extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude suitable resident
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded major resident
Shrubland Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) suitable resident
Altitude   Occasional altitudinal limits  

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Fan-tailed Grassbird Catriscus brevirostris. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/fan-tailed-grassbird-catriscus-brevirostris 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.