VU
Makira Owl Athene roseoaxillaris



Taxonomy

Taxonomic note
Ninox jacquinoti, N. granti, N. malaitae and N. roseoaxillaris (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as N. jacquinoti following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - C2a(ii)

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2023 Vulnerable C2a(ii)
2016 Vulnerable C2a(ii)
2014 Vulnerable C2a(ii)
2012 Not Recognised
2008 Not Recognised
2004 Not Recognised
2000 Not Recognised
1994 Not Recognised
1988 Not Recognised
Species attributes

Migratory status not a migrant Forest dependency high
Land-mass type Average mass 156 g
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 4,300 km2
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident) 4,040 km2
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 2500-9999 mature individuals poor estimated 2021
Population trend decreasing - inferred 2016-2032
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 5-10% - - -
Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 5-10% - - -
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 5-10% - - -
Generation length 5.2 years - - -
Number of subpopulations 1 - - -
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation 100% - - -

Population justification: Two similar-sized and intensively studied congeners - Morepork N. novaeseelandiae in New Zealand and Southern Boobook N. boobook in Australia - have territory sizes that typically range 59-307 ha (Olsen et al. 2011, Pryde and Green 2016), equivalent to densities of 0.3-1.5 mature individuals/km2. Experts familiar with these species have indicated that in old-growth forest, N. roseoaxillaris is heard at similar frequencies to N. novaeseelandiae and N. boobook such that these territory sizes are considered a suitable estimation of density for the present species (G. Dutson pers. comm. 2016, J. Bergmark in litt. 2021). If all of the island was occupied (c.3,100 km2), these densities would yield a population size of c.2,100-10,300 mature individuals. However, it was recorded from only two out of nine study sites by Danielsen et al. (2010) indicating that even in suitable habitat it may be scarce and Mittermeier et al. (2018) always found the species to be uncommon and restricted to forest, suggesting that it occurs at significantly lower densities or is absent from logged or heavily disturbed areas. For these reasons, the species is estimated to have a population size of 2,500-9,999 mature individuals and may be at the lower end of this range.

Trend justification: Remote sensing data (Global Forest Watch 2021, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein) indicate that over the last three generations (15.6 years; Bird et al. 2020) lowland forest loss in this species' range has been equivalent to c.4-7%. Mittermeier et al. (2018) always found the species to be uncommon and restricted to forest, suggesting that it occurs at significantly lower densities or is absent from logged or heavily disturbed areas. Consequently, the species is inferred to be declining and is suspected to have declined at a rate equal to that of forest loss. The overall trend in this species' range is of increased forest loss since c.2010 (Global Forest Watch 2021, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein) and in some years (e.g. 2014) has reached as high as 0.6% in a single year. These losses are not expected to slow or cease, with much of lowland Makira under existing logging licenses and concessions (Danielsen et al. 2010, Katovai et al. 2015, Mittermeier et al. 2018).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Solomon Islands extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Solomon Islands East Makira

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland major resident
Altitude 0 - 600 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture international

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Makira Owl Athene roseoaxillaris. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/makira-owl-athene-roseoaxillaris on 23/11/2024.
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 23/11/2024.