VU
Mindoro Boobook Ninox mindorensis



Taxonomy

Taxonomic note

Ninox philippensis, N. spilocephala, N. leventisi, N. reyi, N. rumseyi, N. spilonotus and N. mindorensis (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as N. philippensis 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
2024 Vulnerable C2a(ii)
2016 Vulnerable B1ab(ii,iii,v)
2014 Vulnerable B1ab(ii,iii,v)
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 medium
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 13,300 km2
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 2500-25000, 2500-9999 mature individuals medium estimated 2023
Population trend decreasing - inferred 2010-2026
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 5-15% - - -
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 5-15% - - -
Generation length 5.2 years - - -
Number of subpopulations 1 - - -
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation 100% - - -

Population justification: Within its range remains a maximum of c.2,000 km2 of suitable habitat (calculated by sRedList [2023], using underlying data from Jung et al. [2020]), however some of this is heavily degraded and it appears to be commoner at lower elevations (with most remaining habitat >1,000 m). 

Using satellite tracking data, Jakosalem et al. (2013) estimated densities as high as 10 pairs/km2 for the formerly conspecific and similar-sized N. rumseyi of Cebu. However, this density was based on home ranges from satellite-tracking data that the authors acknowledged were likely to be too small due to the short time the birds were followed for. The estimated home ranges were, for example, up to ten times smaller than that of another similar-sized Ninox species (Olsen et al. 2011).

Assuming 30-60% occupancy, and a range of densities of 4-20 mature individuals/km2 gives a range of c.2,400-24,000 mature individuals. This is rounded here to 2,500-25,000 mature individuals, with a best estimate at the lower range of this (2,500-9,999).

Trend justification: The main plausible threat to this species is habitat loss and degradation. While historically rates of lowland forest cover loss were very high on Mindoro (BirdLife International 2001), recent rates have been much slower, and over the past three generations (16 years: 2007-2023) forest cover in this species' range was reduced by 5-7% (Global Forest Watch 2024, based on data from Hansen et al. [2013] and methods therein). Moreover, degradation may have additive impacts, and only small areas of Mindoro's lowland forests have high intactness (Grantham et al. 2020). Overall, the population is suspected to have declined by 5-15% over the past three generations. Future rates of decline are highly uncertain, and not estimated here.


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

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest suitable resident
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland major resident
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane suitable resident
Altitude 0 - 1400 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%) 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: Mindoro Boobook Ninox mindorensis. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/mindoro-boobook-ninox-mindorensis on 26/12/2024.
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 26/12/2024.