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

Justification of Red List category
This species has a small population belonging to a single subpopulation which is inferred to be slowly declining owing to ongoing forest loss within its range. It is therefore assessed as Vulnerable.

Population justification
Based on 90 encounters in 1998, the species is thought to occur at a density of approximately 36 individuals/km² (G. Dutson in litt. 2013). A total of c.150 km² of forest is thought to remain within the range (Global Forest Watch 2023, based on data from Hansen et al. [2013] and methods disclosed therein). Assuming high occupancy of available habitat (c.60-90%), the total population is thought to number 3,200-4,800 individuals and is tentatively placed in the band 2,500-4,000 mature individuals.

Trend justification
This species is forest-dependent and susceptible to logging and forest loss (Dutson 2011). Habitat degradation and conversion are ongoing, primarily through encroachment for subsistence agriculture (G. Dutson in litt. 2013) and logging which was reportedly re-commenced on Vanikoro in 2014 (Pierce 2014). Commercial logging operations have converted large areas of habitat to secondary forest in various stages of succession (Lavery et al. 2020), and the species does not occur in open secondary forest (Dutson 2011). Given that this species occupies the majority of the island at a relatively high density, the removal of even a small amount of forest is likely to be linked to a population decline. In the ten years to 2023, remote sensing data indicate that c.2% of forest was lost in this species' range (Global Forest Watch 2022, using data from Hansen et al. [2013] and methods disclosed therein), though this was largely attributed to steeper declines in 2017. This value only amounts to total clearance however and is thought to underestimate overall impacts of habitat loss and degradation on this species (M. O'Brien in litt. 2023). Additionally, the presence of logging roads on the island show that the area is becoming more accessible to loggers, with the majority of the range lying less than 1km from a logging road (Global Witness 2018, M. O'Brien in litt. 2023). As such, a decline is precautionarily inferred overall, although the rate has not been quantified.

Mayrornis schistaceus occurs on the island of Vanikoro and its small satellite island of Teanu in the Solomon Islands.

It occurs in forest to at least 450 m (Dutson 2011, G. Dutson in litt. 2013). Although partially tolerant of old logged forest, it does not occur in not scrubby or open habitats (Parker 1963, Gibbs 1996, Dutson 2011).

Remote sensing data indicate that forest loss is ongoing within the range (Global Forest Watch 2023, using data from Hansen et al. [2013] and methods disclosed therein). This species' habitat is threatened from the gradual expansion of subsistence farming (G. Dutson in litt. 2013). Logging was reportedly re-commenced on Vanikoro in 2014 (Pierce 2014) and is ongoing on the island (Lavery et al. 2020).

Conservation Actions Underway
No targeted conservation actions are known for this species.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Conduct up-to-date surveys to quantify the population size and trend. Monitor population trends. Protect remaining habitat on Vanikoro from logging and agricultural encroachment.

Text account compilers
Vine, J.

Contributors
Dutson, G. & O'Brien, M.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Vanikoro Monarch Mayrornis schistaceus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/vanikoro-monarch-mayrornis-schistaceus on 24/12/2024.
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 24/12/2024.