Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This poorly known species is thought to have a very small population which is experiencing continuing declines due to range contractions from climate change. It is therefore listed as Vulnerable.
Population justification
Owing to its degree of habitat specialisation, taking the lower density quartiles of 4 other sunbird congeners, including two Cinnyris species that also inhabit forests and woodlands, Northern Double-collared Sunbird and Variable Sunbird, of 2-21 individuals/sqkm (BirdLife Population Density Spreadsheet; Vernon 1985; Shaw and Shrewry 2001), and assuming that it inhabits 10% of the forest within its range (8,490 sqkm [Global Forest Watch 2021]), the population may fall into the range of 1,698 – 17,829 individuals. This is roughly equivalent to 1,132 – 11,886 mature individuals, rounded here to 1,100 – 11,900 mature individuals. Based on its current distribution map, it may have 2-3 subpopulations. It is therefore possible that the largest subpopulation holds <1,000 mature individuals.
Trend justification
Although little information is available, this species is inferred to be declining based on range contractions from climate change as modelled by Ayebare et al. (2018).
Cinnyris rockefelleri occupies a very small range in the northern Itombwe Mountains and mountains to the north and west of Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. A record from Rwegura in Burundi requires confirmation (Gaugris et al. 1981), as well as a single, isolated sight record from Nyungwe in Rwanda (Dowsett-Lemaire 1990).
This is mainly a species of gallery bamboo forest at higher altitudes, apparently preferring thickets along streams rather than bamboo forest itself. It also occurs in montane forest down to 2,050 m and afro-alpine moorland.
The species would presumably be more threatened if forest destruction became serious within its restricted range, although this may not be immediately likely given the very high altitudes involved. Armed militia groups mining for Coltan (fuelled mainly through the mobile phone industry) entered Kahuzi-Biéga National Park in 2001 and have caused disturbance through local deforestation, unregulated mining and illegal hunting (Cheke and Mann 2020). Ayebare et al. (2018) identified through species distribution modelling that this species was at risk of losing 65% of its range by 2080 due to climate change.
Conservation Actions Underway
The species's habitat is protected in the Kahuzi-Biéga National Park, west of Lake Kivu. Itombwe Forest has recently been gazetted as a community reserve, although the boundaries still need to be defined (A. Plumptre in litt. 2007).
12 cm. Large sunbird. Iridescent green and blue head, back and tail with dark grey wings. Bright scarlet-red breast fading to buff on belly with red vent. Female greyish-olive above with paler olive-yellow underparts. Similar spp. Confusion arises with Regal Sunbird N. regia but rockefelleri is larger and has longer bill and no yellow on sides of breast and flanks, except for pectoral tufts. Voice Harsh schick schick contact call. Song unknown. Hints It occurs alone or in pairs at mid-height in trees, sometimes joining mixed-species parties.
Text account compilers
Clark, J.
Contributors
Ekstrom, J., Plumptre, A., Shutes, S., Symes, A., Taylor, J., Westrip, J.R.S. & Wilson, J.R.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Rockefeller's Sunbird Cinnyris rockefelleri. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/rockefellers-sunbird-cinnyris-rockefelleri 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.