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

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2022	Near Threatened	B1b(ii,iii); C2a(ii)
2016	Near Threatened	C2a(i)
2015	Near Threatened	C2a(i)
2012	Vulnerable	C2a(i)
2008	Vulnerable	C2a(i)
2004	Vulnerable
2000	Vulnerable
1996	Vulnerable
1994	Vulnerable
1988	Threatened

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	high
Land-mass type	shelf island	Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	5000-15000 mature individuals	poor	suspected	2022
Population trend	decreasing	poor	suspected	1998-2008
Generation length	5.05 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	1-2,1	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	1-100, 100%	-	-	-

Population justification: If the Adelbert Mountains population is, as Beehler and Pratt (2016) suggest, no longer present, then the species occupies a maximum of only c.3,500 km² of forest. The population density of this species (and other Parotia) is unknown, but based on this area of habitat, the population is precautionarily suspected to number only 5,000-15,000 mature individuals, although this requires more detailed confirmation.

Trend justification: This species was previously suspected to be in moderate decline owing to habitat loss within its range, however recent remote sensing data (Global Forest Watch 2022, based on data from Hansen et al. [2013] and methods disclosed therein) indicate that forest loss in its range is only c.2% over the past three generations (15.15 years; Bird et al. 2020). Additional complications are met with respect to the species' subpopulation in the Adelbert Mountains. Although apparently rare when discovered in 1974, it has not been seen since it was heard in 2004 (J. Diamond and D. Bishop in Beehler and Pratt 2016), despite several more recent and detailed searches for it. Beehler and Pratt (2016) consequently suspect that this subpopulation may have disappeared, postulating the reasons as a combination of forest loss, hunting and climate change impacts. It is entirely plausible that these threats are also acting on individuals on the Huon Peninsula, thus the species is suspected of experiencing a slow ongoing decline.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Papua New Guinea	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial	Rural Gardens	possible	resident
Forest	Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane	major	resident
Altitude	1100 - 1700 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Shifting agriculture	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use	Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Species mortality
Climate change & severe weather	Habitat shifting & alteration	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Whole (>90%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Indirect ecosystem effects, Ecosystem conversion

Purpose	Scale
Handicrafts, jewellery, etc.	subsistence, national

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Wahnes's Parotia Parotia wahnesi. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/wahness-parotia-parotia-wahnesi on 27/11/2024.
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 27/11/2024.