Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
Until 2024 this species was listed as Least Concern, with no evidence for it being threatened. However, it is now evidenced that very recently trapping has driven likely very rapid declines and extirpated the species from several areas it was once found. This is particularly concerning since G. annamensis has only a small range, making it particularly easy for trappers to access and remove a large percentage of the global population rapidly. It is accordingly listed as Endangered.
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.
Endemic to the Da Lat plateau, Viet Nam.
This species occurs in secondary forest, edge habitats and undergrowth (J. Eames in litt. 2007, R. Craik in litt. 2007).
Trapping for the cagebird trade is considered the most acute threat to this species and is likely responsible for the rapid declines observed since 2016. 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). Worryingly, it has been suggested (R. Craik in litt. 2024) that birdwatchers and bird photographers have indirectly contributed to this problem, with baiting for laughinghthrushes (and other birds) now rife around Da Lat (and Viet Nam more broadly) to allow close views for observations and photographs. In turn, this has made birds around these baited stations/hides very easy to catch.
Forest loss and degradation has likely compounded declines over the past three generations. 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 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, as well as the expansion of urban areas to accommodate the region's rapidly increasing population (Da Lat city has grown from housing c.400,000 residents in 2015, to 620,000-650,000 in 2020, and is projected to reach 700,000-750,000 by 2030 and 1 million by 2050).
Conservation Actions Underway
No specific action is known for this species, which until very recently was not considered threatened.
Conservation Actions Proposed
Surveys across its range are urgently needed to identify areas where it may still persist. These areas should urgently be protected, and trapping laws enforced. Research into the motivations for local people to keep laughingthrushes and other songbirds in Viet Nam should be carried out. Monitor songbird markets in and around Da Lat to better understand the scale of trade. Continue to monitor habitat extent using remote sensing data.
Text account compilers
Gilroy, J., Berryman, A.
Contributors
Berryman, A., Eaton, J., Craik, R. & Eames, J.C.
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 23/11/2024.
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.