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

Justification of Red List category
This species is very poorly known with the only recent breeding records all originating from just one site. It has probably declined within its range and is suspected to have a moderately small population. Therefore, it is currently considered Near Threatened. Further information is necessary to improve this assessment of its status.

Population justification
This species is very poorly known and the only recent breeding records are from one site in China. Although the rest of its possible range has not been well surveyed it is possible that the species is genuinely rare and therefore it is perhaps best placed in the band 10,000-19,999 mature individuals.

Trend justification
The population is suspected to be in decline at a moderate rate, owing to continuing habitat degradation within the breeding and presumed wintering grounds.

Calliope pectardens breeds in Sichuan, Yunnan and south-east Tibet, China, and is a non-breeding visitor to the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, India (also with a recent record from West Begal [Das 2013], northern Myanmar and Bangladesh (regular visitor, with recent records from the Sundarbans and seasonal freshwater wetlands in the north-east of the country [S. Chowdhury in litt. 2017), and there has been a recent report from northern Thailand (Alström et al. 2013, Bunkhwamdi et al. 2015). It appears to be very rare, with the only recent breeding records from Wolong Biosphere Reserve in Sichuan, although it must be greatly under-recorded as much of its range is remote and seldom visited by ornithologists.

It breeds in dense thickets and scrub in valley bottoms and along stream-sides, within montane forest, at 2,700-3,700 m (Clement and Rose 2015). In the non-breeding season it has been found in dense thicket/shrub vegetation (Das 2013, Round et al. 2014, Bunkhwamdi et al. 2015); as well as potentially occurring in seasonal freshwater wetlands and mangroves (the Sundarbans) (S. Chowdhury in litt. 2017), although the relative importance of these habitats (and hence degree of threat in Bangladesh in particular) is uncertain (P. Thompson in litt. 2017). It forages on arthropods on the forest floor.

It has presumably been affected by deforestation from logging and agricultural expansion on both the breeding and wintering grounds.

Conservation Actions Underway
CMS Appendix II. All recent breeding records originate from Wolong Nature Reserve, Sichuan.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Survey within its known breeding range to determine habitat preference and density estimates. Use these to identify other potentially key areas, survey these and generate population estimates. Assess the impacts of forest loss within its breeding and inferred wintering ranges using satellite imagery and remote sensing. Protect key breeding strongholds. Collate available winter records and analyse patterns of distribution and habitat use to improve knowledge of its winter distribution.

Text account compilers
O'Brien, A., Khwaja, N., Bird, J., Symes, A., Westrip, J.

Contributors
Alstrom, P., Chowdhury, S., Praveen, J., Round, P. & Thompson, P.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Firethroat Calliope pectardens. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/firethroat-calliope-pectardens on 22/12/2024.
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 22/12/2024.