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

Justification of Red List category
This species has a moderately large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km² combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing in response to minor habitat loss and possibly some songbird trade impacts, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over three generations). The population size is unknown, but is not suspected to be sufficiently small to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Population justification
The global population size has not been quantified, although it is described as 'fairly common', including in degraded habitats (Eaton et al. 2021); citizen science data (eBird 2022) suggest that is regularly observed (sometimes in large numbers) in suitable habitat.

Trend justification
The population is suspected to be declining slowly due to habitat loss at the lower elevations of its range, and potentially trapping. In the ten years to 2022, forest cover loss in its range was 4-6% (Global Forest Watch 2022, based on Hansen et al. [2013] and methods disclosed therein), and this is thought to have had minimal impact on the population given its tolerance of degraded habitats (Eaton et al. 2021). Trapping for the songbird trade has also been identified as a threat to this species. However, the species has only very rarely appeared on physical market survey inventories (e.g. Chng et al. 2018), and using a web-scraping tool to mine data from online marketplace platforms, Okarda et al. (2022) found no advertisements for it among c.105,000 listings. Consequently, although trapping may cause local losses at the most accessible locations, it is unlikely to be causing a rapid reduction in global population size. These interpretations are consistent with those of Symes et al. (2018), who considered the combined impact of forest loss and trapping to be 4.6% over ten years. Evaluating all the data available, the population is suspected of declining at a past and future rate of 1-15% over three generations, with a best estimate of c.5%.

Pycnonotus tympanistrigus is endemic to Sumatra, Indonesia (BirdLife International 2001), where it occurs in submontane forest on the Barisan range.

This species inhabits hill and lower montane forest, including edge and clearings. It is typically found at 500-1,400 m, but occasionally at 300-1,900 m (Eaton et al. 2021).

In the ten years to 2022, forest cover loss in its range was 4-6% (Global Forest Watch 2022, based on Hansen et al. [2013] and methods disclosed therein), and this is thought to have had a minor impact on the population given its tolerance of degraded habitats (Eaton et al. 2021). Trapping for the songbird trade has also been identified as a threat to this species. However, the species has only very rarely appeared on physical market survey inventories, and using a web-scraping tool to mine data from online marketplace platforms, Okarda et al. (2022) found no advertisements among c.105,000 listings. Consequently, although trapping may cause local losses at the most accessible locations, it is unlikely to be causing a rapid reduction in global population size.

Conservation Actions Underway
None is specifically known. Much of its range lies in protected areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2022).

Conservation Actions Proposed
Effectively protect significant areas of suitable forest at key sites, in both strictly protected areas and community-led multiple use areas. Continue to monitor habitat loss within its range.

Text account compilers
Berryman, A.

Contributors
Benstead, P., Gilroy, J. & Taylor, J.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Spot-necked Bulbul Pycnonotus tympanistrigus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/spot-necked-bulbul-pycnonotus-tympanistrigus on 22/11/2024.
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 22/11/2024.