Family: Dicaeidae (Flowerpeckers)

Authority: Saucier et al., 2019

Red List Category

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Justification of Red List category
Spectacled Flowerpecker is known from very few records, having only been discovered in 2009, but these records are widely distributed within remaining lowland forest on Borneo. It is not possible to determine the likely population size, with the very infrequent sightings since first publicised even in intensively watched research sites suggesting it could be very rare indeed, but the great spread of records conversely hinting that it may simply be very hard to detect. All records indicate that the species is highly dependent on intact or largely intact forest, which is being lost at a moderately rapid rate such as to be able to infer there is a continuing decline in the number of individuals, even without being able to quantify such a decline. As such, it is plausible that the species could qualify as either Critically Endangered (under criterion C2a(i or ii) should the population be estimated on rates of encounter from known sites), or as plausibly Least Concern if the population were to be suspected to exceed 10,000 mature individuals on the basis that the species is chronically overlooked, and could occur across the full extent of potential habitat remaining at reasonable densities. 

With so few records, assessing the species on the basis that there must be many thousands more is unsound, and as such the species is assessed here as Data Deficient. Increasing the certainty with which the population can be estimated would permit the species to be assessed against one of the other Red List Categories. As a Data Deficient species, further prompt research into the status of Spectacled Flowerpecker is required.

Population size: unknown

Population trend: decreasing

Extent of occurrence (breeding/resident): 168,000 km²

Country endemic: no