Family: Columbidae (Pigeons, Doves)
Authority: (Bourns & Worcester, 1894)
Red List Category
Criteria: D
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Justification of Red List categoryThis species has not been recorded with certainty since two specimens taken in 1891, and it may have declined severely through extensive logging and habitat destruction, compounded by hunting and trapping. However, it is perhaps unlikely to have gone extinct as there were local reports from a number of islands in 1995, and claims that it was quite abundant until the 1970s. Visits to Tawitawi in February and June 2009 did not produce any records of the species however (I. Sarenas
per Sykes 2009)
, and conversations with trappers and other local people have failed to find anyone familiar with the species (R. Hutchinson
in litt. 2012). Although disappearing fast, some habitat still remains. Any remaining population is likely to be tiny, and for these reasons it is treated as Critically Endangered.
Population size:
1-49 mature individuals
Population trend:
unknown
Extent of occurrence (breeding/resident):
780 km
2
Country endemic:
yes
Attributes
Land-mass type - shelf island
Realm - Indomalayan
IUCN System - Terrestrial