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

Taxonomic note

Previously listed as Melaenornis herero (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) and before that as Namibornis herero. Genetic analyses (Voelker et al. 2016) and clear differences in behaviour and ecology favour the return of this species to a monotypic genus. Resembles Bradornis in features such as nest structure, nest-site, eggs, and nestlings’ begging call, yet recalls some Oenanthe in voice, habits, and appearance of fledglings. Monotypic.

Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2022. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip.

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/Near Threatened
1988	Near Threatened

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	low
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	232,000 km2	medium
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	unknown	-	-	-
Population trend	stable	-	suspected	-
Generation length	3.22 years	-	-	-

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but in prime habitat the species is abundant, reaching densities of 15 birds per km², and the Namibian population is estimated at 108,000 birds (Harrison et al. 1997b, Robertson et al. 1995). In parts of its range the species is described as rare (Keith et al. 1992). The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Angola	extant	native		yes
Namibia	extant	native		yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
Angola	Iona National Park
Namibia	Brandberg mountain
Namibia	Epupa - Ruacana
Namibia	Hobatere
Namibia	Namib-Naukluft Park

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Forest	Subtropical/Tropical Dry	suitable	resident
Grassland	Subtropical/Tropical Dry	suitable	resident
Savanna	Dry	suitable	resident
Shrubland	Subtropical/Tropical Dry	major	resident
Altitude	800 - 1400 m	Occasional altitudinal limits	(max) 1800 m

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Climate change & severe weather	Habitat shifting & alteration	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Future		Whole (>90%)		Rapid Declines		Medium Impact: 7
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Herero Chat Namibornis herero. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/herero-chat-namibornis-herero on 23/12/2024.
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 23/12/2024.