Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species is now listed as Endangered on the basis that it is estimated to have a very small population, probably existing in multiple small sub-populations, which is inferred to be in decline owing to on-going habitat loss and degradation.
Population justification
In the Brazilian Red List the population size was estimated at no more than 2,500 mature individuals, with each subpopulation containing <250 mature individuals (MMA 2014). The population size is therefore placed in the range 1,000-2,499 mature individuals.
Trend justification
Anecdotal evidence suggests that local declines are taking place (C. Albano in litt. 2013), and an overall decline in the population is inferred on the basis of on-going habitat destruction (del Hoyo et al. 2003).
Automolus lammi occurs in coastal areas of Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, and Sergipe states, Brazil (Zimmer 2008, Pereira et al. 2014). It is generally scarce and local in occurrence, although easier to find in northern Pernambuco (C. Albano in litt. 2013, S. de Melo Dantas in litt. 2013), such as at Estação Ecológica de Caetés (S. de Melo Dantas in litt. 2013), and also seems more common in parts of Paraíba (C. Albano in litt. 2013). It is known from only from a few formally protected areas, notably Murici Biological Reserve and Pedra Talhada Federal Biological Reserve (Zimmer 2008). Surveys of privately owned forest fragments found A. lammi at only a few sites and concluded that it appears to be genuinely rare (Silveira et al. 2003). Given the species's scarcity, it is preliminarily estimated to number fewer than 10,000 mature individuals until better data are available. The population appears to be declining in Murici (Alagoas) and Estancia (Sergipe), and there are no recent records from Jaqueira Reserve (Pernambuco) (C. Albano in litt. 2013), which along with knowledge of on-going threats to its habitats, imply that the overall population is in decline.
This species inhabits lowland and foothill evergreen forest and taller secondary growth woodland, and has been recorded from near sea-level to 550 m (Zimmer 2008).
The region occupied by this species has suffered the catastrophic loss of forest for agricultural expansion, primarily sugar-cane production, with virtually all remaining forest existing in fragments (Zimmer 2008), mostly restricted to steep slopes and ridge-tops (Stattersfield et al. 1998). Most of these fragments exist on sugar-cane mill properties and lack any protection (Silveira et al. 2003). In Murici Biological Reserve, illegal selective logging of larger trees was an on-going problem as recently as 2004 (Zimmer 2008). Automolus species have been shown to be among the species most adversely affected by selective logging and by fragmentation owing in part to their poor dispersal capabilities (Thiollay 1992, Stouffer and Bierregaard 1995). In addition, it has been suggested that the application of aerially-dispersed pesticides in surrounding agricultural land could be impacting insectivorous bird species in forest fragments (Silveira et al. 2003).
Conservation Actions Underway
This species is considered Endangered at the national level (Silveira and Straube 2008, MMA 2014) and protected under Brazilian law. Some of this species's habitat receives protection, although this has not always been effective, for example at Murici Biological Reserve (Zimmer 2008).
Conservation Actions Proposed
Carry out surveys to assess the species's total population size. Monitor rates of habitat loss and degradation through remote sensing. Increase the area of suitable habitat that receives effective protection. Work with the owners of sugar-cane mills to secure the protection of remaining forest fragments on their land.
Text account compilers
Symes, A., Sharpe, C.J., Wheatley, H., Taylor, J., Westrip, J.
Contributors
Albano, C., de Melo Dantas, S.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Pernambuco Foliage-gleaner Automolus lammi. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/pernambuco-foliage-gleaner-automolus-lammi on 24/11/2024.
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 24/11/2024.