Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species has a small population. Habitat within its range is still pristine and the species is not considered under imminent threat. It is therefore listed as Near Threatened.
Population justification
The species is locally uncommon to very common. The population is estimated to number 2,500-9,999 individuals based on an assessment of known records, descriptions of abundance and range size. This is consistent with recorded population density estimates for congeners or close relatives with a similar body size, and the fact that only a proportion of the estimated Extent of Occurrence is likely to be occupied. This estimate is equivalent to 1,667-6,666 mature individuals, rounded here to 1,500-7,000 mature individuals.
Trend justification
The population trend has not been assessed directly. The species is thought to potentially have declined in the past as a consequence of the loss and fragmentation of its forest habitat; forest loss however has mostly been concentrated in areas below the species's altitudinal range (Sharpe 2008). Over the past ten years, deforestation rates within the range have been negligible (< 1%; Global Forest Watch 2020). Hence, in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats, the population is assessed as stable.
Poospiza goeringi occurs in the south-western half of the Cordillera de Mérida in Táchira and Mérida, west Venezuela. It is locally uncommon along the higher reaches of the Pico Humboldt trail in Sierra Nevada National Park, and has regularly been seen on Páramo Batallón since first reports in 1998 (Boesman 1998) and Páramo Zumbador (with records in the 1980s and in 2003) (C. J. Sharpe in litt. 1997, 2003, Hilty 2003). In 2011, it was found to be "strikingly common" in elfin forest at Boca de Monte at 2855 m on the eastern slope of the Mérida Andes (C. Rengifo in litt. 2012). It has been recorded from just two other discrete areas, but not since 1950. Nevertheless, habitat loss is unlikely to have extirpated it from these areas, and it presumably also occupies contiguous tracts of habitat.
The species inhabits cloud and elfin forest, mainly at elevations of 2,600-3,200 m, but in some areas down to 2,300 m (Hilty 2003). It appears to tolerate shrubby and degraded secondary habitats (Hilty and Sharpe 2020). It is most common towards the treeline, and in areas of scattered trees at the edge of humid páramo. It was particularly common in elfin forest at Boca de Monte at 2855 m on the eastern slope of the Mérida Andes where several individuals were caught in mist nets and more than ten observed (C. Rengifo in litt. 2012). It forages for insects and berries on or near the ground, usually under dense cover and apparently closely associated with bamboo. Birds are typically encountered in pairs or small groups, sometimes in the company of mixed-species flocks (C. J. Sharpe in litt. 2011, C. Rengifo in litt. 2012).
There has been extensive habitat loss in the Cordillera de Mérida for agricultural conversion, potentially to be compounded by proposed mining and road construction (M. L. Goodwin in litt. 1993, C. J. Sharpe in litt. 1997, 2003). However, this destruction has been concentrated in areas below the species's altitudinal range, although it may begin to affect its montane forests significantly in the future.
Conservation Actions Underway
Most of its range is within Sierra Nevada and Páramos del Batallón y La Negra National Parks (Wege and Long 1995, Sharpe 2008), but none provide adequate protection. It has been classified as nationally Vulnerable in Venezuela (Sharpe 2008, 2015).
14.5 cm. Well-marked tanager. Slaty upperparts with black crown, cheeks and throat. White supercilium and small mark on lower eyelid. Cinnamon-rufous underparts. Similar spp. Black-eared Hemispingus H. melanotis lacks black crown and conspicuous supercilium, and has duller underparts. Voice Continuous stream of moderate-pitched, harsh notes, ch-d-d-d-d-d-d, and more pleasant stream of musical chi-ti-tee chi-ti-tee, probably given as a duet.
Text account compilers
Hermes, C.
Contributors
Capper, D., Goodwin, M.L., Isherwood, I., Pople, R., Rengifo, C., Sharpe, C.J., Sharpe, C J & Symes, A.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Slaty-backed Hemispingus Poospiza goeringi. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/slaty-backed-hemispingus-poospiza-goeringi 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.