Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic note
The genus Suthora has been moved from the family Sylviidae to Paradoxornithidae following Cai et al. (2019). Previously placed in Sinosuthora (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) but moved to current genus following Cai et al. (2019). Formerly listed as Paradoxornis przewalskii. Monotypic.
Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2021. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 6. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v6_Dec21.zip.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
high |
Land-mass type |
continent
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: Population density and size are wholly unknown and difficult to estimate. The species was always thought to be scarce: Deditius (1897) and Dresser and Morgan (1899) described it as rare in the late nineteenth century, and more recently MacKinnon and Phillipps (2000) regarded it as uncommon. However, accuracies of abundance are confounded by the species' apparent nomadism in search of flowering bamboo (Collar et al. 1994), and the species has occasionally been noted as locally common (BirdLife International 2001). There has been no published information on this species' population since; obtaining accurate population data should be considered a priority for research.
Trend justification: The species' population trend is very difficult to determine due to its mostly inaccessible (and rarely visited) range and fluctuating local abundance (probably in response to bamboo flowering and die-off events). The population was formerly suspected to be declining (BirdLife International 2001) because of habitat loss and fragmentation. However, rates of habitat loss even three decades ago were relatively minor (see MacKinnon et al. 1996) and occurring at an inestimable rate. More recent remote sensing data (Global Forest Watch 2021, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein) indicate that forest loss in the species' range is minimal (<1% over the last 10 years) and while there may be light degradation ongoing undetected by remote sensing techniques, there is no evidence that this would adversely affect it, particularly if it is dependent on bamboo. In the absence of other known threats, the species is therefore suspected to be stable.
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Rusty-throated Parrotbill Suthora przewalskii. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/rusty-throated-parrotbill-suthora-przewalskii 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.