Current view: Data table and detailed info
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
Red List history
| Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
high |
| Land-mass type |
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: Heij et al. (1997) established the total egg-laying population that nests on Haruku Island at 4,200 females. 13,000-14,000 egg-laying females were estimated at Galela on Halmahera in 1995 (Heij et al. 1997), while Sjafani et al. (2015) estimated the number of females accessing the beach at this same location at 5,500 in 2011 and 5,000 in 2012. If these extrapolations are comparable it suggests a reduction in excess of 50% over three generations at the most significant nesting ground for the species. Additionally, the Tanjung Maleo site on Haruku Island has seen a significant reduction in the number of eggs harvested from over 36,000 regularly in the late 1990s (when effort was maximised in line with increased leasehold cost) (Heij et al. 1997) to 21,707 in 2017 (Simanjuntak 2020).
The third largest breeding population is likely to be along the coastal strip of North Seram, estimated to support c.1,500-2,500 egg laying females (Heij et al. 1997), and several other islands hold small populations, some of which may be significant and subject to much lower rates of egg-collection (Heij et al. 1997).
The estimates made by Heij et al. (1997) total c.18,000-20,000 females or 36,000-40,000 mature individuals, hence the total population is perhaps best placed in the band 20,000-49,999 individuals. However, if the more recent estimate of between 5000-5500 breeding females at Galela is accurate, the total population may actually be below 20,000 mature individuals. More research into total population size is required.
Trend justification: The population is suspected to be decreasing rapidly, owing to the uncontrolled and unsustainable harvest of eggs, a reduction in the number of adults from hunting pressure and introduced predators, and the fragmentation of habitats. Almost all nesting grounds are exploited to a considerable extent and only at very few sites is this likely to be sustainable (Heij et al. 1997). Even where the collecting is regulated by local custom the regulation was not set in line with maintaining the population and actually encourages maximum exploitation, with less than 15% of eggs unharvested (Heij et al. 1997).
Numbers of individuals have only been estimated at two different times at Galela, north Halmahera: 13,000-14,000 egg-laying females in 1996 (Heij et al. 1997) and 5500 and 5000 egg-laying females in 2011 and 2012 respectively (Sjafani et al. 2015). These are extrapolations from the density of females within a small section of a large nesting area and as such are of low precision, however if this does reflect the magnitude of reduction at this (heavily exploited) site then it exceeds 50% in three generations (21 years). Further inference to inform the rate of decline may be the overall number of eggs harvested from the Tanjung Maleo site, subject to detailed recording of egg harvest for several decades. This site is subject to sasi, a locally instituted arrangement to restrict the harvest by annually auctioning the rights to the egg harvest. Total egg harvest peaked in 1996/7 at 37,712, and was high (though dropping) for a few years until conflict in the region deterred egg-collectors from leaving their villages. Subsquently, effort has returned to similar levels but the harvest is lower with a recent annual maximum of 21,707 in 2017 (Simanjuntak 2020). If these values are comparable, this suggests a rapid decline in the numbers of egg-laying females visiting this site at a rate exceeding 40% over three generations.
Elsewhere in the range it is thought that large populations persist on Seram and probably Buru, and some areas are likely to have very low levels of exploitation (Heij et al. 1997). Nesting sites here appear to be much more dispersed and, coupled with lower human population density, are much more difficult to efficiently harvest.
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Moluccan Scrubfowl Eulipoa wallacei. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/moluccan-scrubfowl-eulipoa-wallacei on 22/11/2024.
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 22/11/2024.
