EN
Orange-breasted Laughingthrush Garrulax annamensis



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- A2cd+4cd A2cd+4cd; B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v)

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2024 Endangered A2cd+4cd
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
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) 14,100 km2
Number of locations 3-20 -
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown - - -
Population trend decreasing - inferred 2016-2028
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 30-79% - - -
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 30-79% - - -
Generation length 3.89 years - - -

Population justification: The global population size of this species has not previously been estimated and, given apparent recent declines, historical descriptions of its abundance may no longer be accurate even in areas of suitable habitat given the apparent trapping pressure being exerted. It is probably now best regarded as rare and localised, especially in areas accessible to both birdwatchers and trappers.

Trend justification: The population trend of this species was formerly thought to be stable, in part because the main plausible threat was assumed to be habitat loss and degradation, which had been operating on a minimal scale within its mid-elevational range, and the species itself is adaptable and relatively resistant to habitat modification. However, not only has the rate of forest loss and degradation now accelerated to a rate and acuity that must be driving at least local population declines, but trapping has been identified as the principal threat to the species, and has caused localised extirpations at almost all localities the species was regularly observed in. Accordingly, it is now inferred to be declining, probably rapidly.

Within its mapped range, forest cover has reduced by 9-11% in the past three generations (per Global Forest Watch 2023, based on data from Hansen et al. 2013 and methods disclosed therein), with exact values depending on the assumptions used. The impact this has had on the species' population size is unclear as it is evidently tolerant of some forest degradation. Nonetheless, in many instances, the forest habitat of this species has been totally destroyed and converted into agricultural landscapes not used by it. Accordingly, habitat loss and degradation is suspected to have caused declines of 5-19% over the past three generations.

A more acute and widespread threat is that posed by trapping for the cagebird trade. Almost none of this species' range is remote from trappers, with a remote sensing analysis finding no area of suitable habitat more than 10 km from a major road, and an uninterpretable number of motorable tracks extend further into 'intact' forest areas. This threat is not purely hypothetical, and it is evident from a review of citizen science data (eBird 2023) that a considerable reduction in the number of occupied sites has occurred since 2018, notwithstanding some variation in effort caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Translating this into plausible rates of decline is also challenging, as it must also be considered that areas of greatest citizen science effort are also those most accessible to trapping. In 2022, conversation with local bird market traders indicated that the species has become considerably rarer, and more expensive, than 10 years previously (A. Berryman pers. obs.). This corroborates a broader body of evidence in Viet Nam that laughingthrushes are widely traded (e.g. Eaton et al. 2017, Leupen et al. 2022), as is true of elsewhere in South-East Asia, specifically in Da Lat (where, for example, sympatric populations of White-cheeked Laughingthrush P. vassali now occur in much smaller flocks than they once did: J. Eaton in litt. 2023).

Trapping is suspected to have caused the majority of recent declines, but habitat modification is likely to have compounded problems for this species, with the introduction of roads and tracks enabling in some places more pervasive trapping effort. In combining the two threats, however, there are considerable uncertainties in trying to determine plausible rates of decline. The combined impact of forest cover loss and trapping is suspected to have caused global declines of at least 30% over the past three generations, and to have plausibly been over 50%. The same rate of decline is suspected to occur in the three-generation window 2016 to 2028, thus meeting the threshold for threatened under Criterion A4 also. However, rates of decline in the future three generations (2023-2035) are considered too uncertain to estimate.


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Vietnam 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 major resident
Shrubland Subtropical/Tropical Moist suitable resident
Altitude 915 - 1510 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
Agriculture & aquaculture Wood & pulp plantations - Small-holder plantations Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Rapid Declines Medium Impact: 7
Stresses
Species mortality
Residential & commercial development Housing & urban areas Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Ecosystem conversion

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture subsistence, national

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Orange-breasted Laughingthrush Garrulax annamensis. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/orange-breasted-laughingthrush-garrulax-annamensis 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.