• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic note

The genus Suthora has been moved from the family Sylviidae to Paradoxornithidae following Cai et al. (2019). Previously placed in Neosuthora (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) but moved to current genus following Cai et al. (2019). Formerly it had been listed as Paradoxornis davidianus.

Racial identity of birds in extreme N Laos and extreme NW part of W Tonkin (N Vietnam) uncertain, but presumed to belong with thompsoni; likewise, birds in N (extreme E part) & C (NE part) Laos and neighbouring Vietnam (N Annam) presumed to belong with tonkinensis. Three subspecies currently recognized.

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.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2024	Least Concern
2016	Least Concern
2012	Least Concern
2009	Least Concern
2008	Least Concern
2004	Least Concern
2000	Lower Risk/Least Concern
1996	Vulnerable
1994	Vulnerable
1988	Threatened

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	low
Land-mass type	continent	Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	1,090,000 km2
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	unknown	-	-	-
Population trend	decreasing	-	suspected	-
Generation length	2.76 years	-	-	-

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as locally common in China and Vietnam and very scarce and difficult to observe in other locations (del Hoyo et al. 2007). Brazil (2009) estimates the population in China at c.100-10,000 breeding pairs. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation. However, recent fieldwork has revealed that this species is far more common than previously believed, and is able to tolerate degraded habitats (BirdLife International 2001).

Trend justification: The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation. However, recent fieldwork has revealed that this species is far more common than previously believed, and is able to tolerate degraded habitats (BirdLife International 2001).

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
China (mainland)	extant	native		yes
Laos	extant	native		yes
Myanmar	extant	native		yes
Thailand	extant	native		yes
Vietnam	extant	native		yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
China (mainland)	Mangshan Nature Reserve
Laos	Nam Xam
Vietnam	Fan Si Pan
Vietnam	Ke Go
Vietnam	Tam Dao
Vietnam	Vu Quang

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Forest	Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland	suitable	resident
Grassland	Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded	suitable	resident
Shrubland	Subtropical/Tropical Moist	suitable	resident
Altitude	50 - 1830 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Purpose	Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture	subsistence, national

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Short-tailed Parrotbill Suthora davidiana. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/short-tailed-parrotbill-suthora-davidiana 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.