LC
Mindanao Highland Scops-owl Otus mirus



Taxonomy

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
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2023 Least Concern
2016 Near Threatened B1ab(ii,iii,v)
2012 Near Threatened B1ab(ii,iii,v)
2008 Near Threatened B1a+b(iii)
2004 Near Threatened
2000 Lower Risk/Near Threatened
1996 Vulnerable
1994 Vulnerable
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status not a migrant Forest dependency high
Land-mass type shelf island
Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 82,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown - - -
Population trend decreasing - suspected 2016-2026
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 1-5% - - -
Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 1-5% - - -
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 1-5% - - -
Generation length 2.44 years - - -
Number of subpopulations 10-20 - - -
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation 1-89% - - -

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified. Descriptions of its abundance range from rare (e.g. König et al. 1999) to local and uncommon (e.g. Allen 2020), however citizen science data (eBird 2023) reveal it to be rather common where survey effort overlaps with the correct elevation at night. Given that approximately 8,000 km2 of forest lies in its mapped range, the population size is therefore not believed to be especially small, and there is relatively high certainty that it exceeds 10,000 mature individuals.

Trend justification: The only acting threat to this species is habitat loss, caused principally by shifting agriculture and degradation at the lowest elevations of its range. Remote sensing data reveal the rate of loss to be very slow, equivalent to 2-4% of the mapped range being lost in the past ten years (2012-2022) (Global Forest Watch 2023, based on data from Hansen et al. [2013] and methods disclosed therein). It is plausible that this rate is an overestimate of population declines, since most of these losses are between 1,000-1,200 m elevation, where the species is reportedly less common than at higher elevations. Precautionarily, the trend is suspected to be declining at an ongoing rate of 1-5% over ten years.


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

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Philippines Mount Apo
Philippines Mount Busa-Kiamba
Philippines Mount Hilong-hilong
Philippines Mount Kitanglad

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane major resident
Altitude 1500 - 2950 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Shifting agriculture Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation
Agriculture & aquaculture Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Mindanao Highland Scops-owl Otus mirus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/mindanao-highland-scops-owl-otus-mirus 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.