Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
Although the population size is relatively large, the population is thought to have undergone rapid declines, over 30% over the past three generations, as a result of recent severe fires in 2019-2020. For this reason, the species is assessed as Vulnerable.
Population justification
The population estimates of the two Pilotbird subspecies is based on average densities recorded in 2-ha 20-min counts (P. f. floccosus 1.5±0.6 birds/ha and P. f. sandlandi 1.3±0.6 birds/ha; BirdLife Australia 2020), the areas likely to have been occupied from 1990–2019 based on Birdata (BirdLife Australia 2020) and eBird (2021), a habitat occupancy prediction of 5%–10%, and maps of severity for fire in 2019–2020 within the pre-fire range and initial assumptions about mortality at different severity classes (severity low: 20%; medium: 50%; high: 100%; very high: 100%). This leads to estimations of 9,000-125,000 mature individuals of P. f. sandlandi (with a best estimation of 77,000) and a much smaller population of 1,000-18,000 mature individuals of P. f. floccosus (best estimation 11,000). The total population is therefore estimated at c.88,000 mature individuals (Loyn et al. 2021).
Trend justification
The population of P. f. floccosus is thought to have declined by 33% over the past three generations (c.10.3 years; Bird et al. 2020) because of the wildfires of 2019-2020 with estimates ranging from 19% to 37% depending on the fire-related mortality assumed under different scenarios (S.T. Garnett & G. Ehmke unpublished, in Loyn et al. 2021). The population of P. f. sandlandi is thought to have declined by 30% as a result of the fires with estimates ranging from 17%–34% depending on the fire-related mortality assumed under different scenarios (S.T. Garnett & G. Ehmke unpublished, in Loyn et al. 2021). Both estimates conservatively assume a relatively high level of mortality; it may be lower – Baker et al. (1997) estimated that 10% of individuals survived a fierce fire in the Brindabellas. Recovery from fire may be slow. In severely burnt Mountain Ash Eucalyptus regnans forest, birds first returned to long-term monitoring plots after four years (Lindenmayer et al. 2018), and in the Brindabellas, the population was 10% of pre-fire levels in the three years post-fire, and 30% in the subsequent three years (Baker et al. 1997). The population is therefore suspected to have declined by 20-39% over the past three generations, with a best estimate of 30-35%. Although the cause of this decline is understood and to at least some extent reversible, it is unknown whether the threat has ceased, with climate modelling consistently predicting that such extreme fire events will become more frequent in the future.
P. f. floccosus occurs above 800 m in the Brindabella Ranges, Australia, in the Australian Capital Territory, and in the Snowy Mountainsin New South Wales and north-east Victoria. P. f. sandlandi occurs below in forests from the Blue Mountains west of Newcastle around the wetter forests of eastern Australia to the Dandenong's near Melbourne (Higgins and Peter 2002).
Pilotbirds live on the ground in dense forests with heavy undergrowth where they forage for insects and occasionally eat seeds and fruits (Higgins and Peter 2002). They appear to be largely sedentary, occupying small territories all year round. They build a domed nest on or near the ground in which they usually lay two eggs (Zwart 1973). P. f. floccosus occur at 800–1,500 m in alpine regions, and coastal P. f. sandlandi below 1,000 m (Gregory 2020).
There were thought to be no substantive threats until a combination of extended drought and exceptional heat provided ideal conditions for fire that burnt large parts of the habitat with high severity in January 2020. Both heat and drought are likely to increase in frequency and intensity (Evans et al. 2017, Herold et al. 2018), as will extreme fire weather (Di Virgilio et al. 2019, Dowdy et al. 2019). As well as climate-induced fire impacts, there is some evidence that a warming climate is already affecting P. f. sandlandi at lower altitudes near Melbourne (Loyn and Menkhorst 2011).
Conservation Actions Underway
Many individuals occur within conservation areas.
Conservation Actions Proposed
Determine the conditions needed for recovery of the population after fire. Assess rates of recolonisation of burnt habitat, particularly that distant or isolated from unburnt populations. Assess the need for assisted recolonisation of formerly occupied habitat. Ensure remaining habitat is protected from development. Minimise the probability of fire in unburnt areas after large fire events. Constrain actions such as salvage logging that would lead to the reduced likelihood of recovery or recolonisation of burnt areas after fire. Seek to impose fire management plans that reduce risk and frequency of high-intensity fires.
Text account compilers
Berryman, A., Vine, J.
Contributors
Butchart, S. & Ekstrom, J.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Pilotbird Pycnoptilus floccosus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/pilotbird-pycnoptilus-floccosus on 22/12/2024.
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 22/12/2024.