Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species is presumed to have a small and population within its very small range and is precautionarily assumed to made up of a single subpopulation across this single mountain range. Its population is currently suspected to be stable, but there is some slow forest loss within the range of the species. If this is shown to be causing an ongoing decline in population size then this species may warrant uplisting in the future.
Population justification
It is restricted to altitudes of 1,200-1,450 m (rarely to 990 m). The numbers of bowers found per km2 documented by Frith and Frith (2004) for other species in the genus are 15/50 km2 and 24/48 km2 (with the maximum from 23 studies of all bowerbirds being 36/2.5 km2). It is reported as common at Keki Lodge but rare between Wanuma and Mt Mengam (Beehler and Pratt 2016). It seems likely that the total population numbers fewer than 10,000 mature individuals (G. Dutson in litt. 2009), and so it is placed in the band 2,500-9,999 mature individuals. This equates to 3,750-14,999 individuals in total, rounded here to 3,500-15,000 individuals.
Trend justification
Forest in the Adalbert Mountains is largely inaccessible and unlikely to be under significant threat in the near future, the species remains common in its favoured habitat, and there is no evidence of a decline (B. Beehler & K. Vang in litt. 2008). Thus the species is tentatively listed as being stable. However satellite imagery shows an ongoing slow loss of forest across the Adelberts.
Sericulus bakeri is endemic to the Adelbert Mts in central north Papua New Guinea where it has a very restricted range (R. D. Mackay in litt. 1986, Coates 1990, Beehler and Pratt 2016). It can be locally moderately common in suitable habitat within its small range (Coates 1990, B. Beehler and K. Vang in litt. 2008).
It mainly occupies a narrow altitudinal band at 1,200-1,450 m, rarely dropping to 900 m (R. D. Mackay in litt. 1986, Coates 1990, B. Beehler in litt. 2000, G. Dutson in litt. 2009, Beehler and Pratt 2016). It is replaced at higher altitudes by the widespread A. macgregoriae. It forages for fruit, especially figs, and insects in the forest canopy, visiting suitable fruiting trees in secondary growth close to forest (Gilliard 1969, R. D. Mackay in litt. 1986, Coates 1990).
Although this mountain range is not heavily populated, this species occurs at the optimum altitude for indigenous agriculture and villagers rely substantially on hunting for food (R. D. Mackay in litt. 1986). However, the people of Salemben village do not hunt this species (B. Beehler in litt. 2000), and much of its range remains inaccessible and is unlikely to be logged in the near future (B. Beehler & K. Vang in litt. 2008). Population pressure (currently 2-3% increase per year in Papua New Guinea) will lead to increasing rates of deforestation but there are few data on current levels and trends of hunting and deforestation, and if most of the resulting clearance is for small-scale garden agriculture the species may not be adversely affected (G. Dutson in litt. 2009). However, a considerable proportion of the foothills have been selectively logged (Beehler and Pratt 2016) and satellite imagery shows a slow level of ongoing forest loss across the species' range (G. Dutson in litt. 2016).
Conservation Actions Underway
None is known.
27 cm. Male black with fiery crown and mane and golden wing-patch. Female mousy-brown with fine dark scalloping on off-white underparts. Similar spp. Male similar only to extralimital Flame Bowerbird S. aureus and Crested Bird-of-paradise Cnemophilus macgregorii. Female similar to Macgregor's Bowerbird Amblyornis macgregoriae which has unpatterned buffy-brown underparts and is at higher altitudes, and to various birds-of-paradise which are brighter and more contrastingly barred on underparts. Voice Rasping, hissing and other perhaps mimicked calls. Hints Visit basic tourist lodge above Salemben village, four hours rough drive north of Madang.
Text account compilers
Mahood, S., Khwaja, N., O'Brien, A., Stattersfield, A., Symes, A., Dutson, G., Westrip, J.
Contributors
Vang, K., Dutson, G., Mackay, R., Beehler, B.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Fire-maned Bowerbird Sericulus bakeri. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/fire-maned-bowerbird-sericulus-bakeri 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.