LC
Waller's Starling Onychognathus walleri



Taxonomy

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.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2024 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

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

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 3,770,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown - - -
Population trend decreasing - suspected -
Generation length 4.45 years - - -

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be locally common in the east of its range and common in the west (Zimmerman et al. 1996, Borrow and Demey 2000). This species is considered to have a high dependency on forest habitat, and tree cover is estimated to have declined by 11.7% within its mapped range over the past three generations (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). It is therefore tentatively suspected that this rate of cover loss may have led to a decline of between 1-19% in the species' population size over the same time frame, with a best estimate of reduction being 11-14%.

Trend justification:   .


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Burundi extant native yes
Cameroon extant native yes
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the extant native yes
Equatorial Guinea extant native yes
Kenya extant native yes
Malawi extant native yes
Nigeria extant native yes
Rwanda extant native yes
South Sudan extant native yes
Sudan extant native yes
Tanzania extant native yes
Uganda extant native yes
Zambia extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Burundi Bururi Forest Nature Reserve
Burundi Kibira National Park
Cameroon Bakossi mountains
Cameroon Bali-Ngemba Forest Reserve
Cameroon Mbi Crater Faunal Reserve - Mbingo forest
Cameroon Mont Bana
Cameroon Mont Manengouba
Cameroon Mont Nlonako
Cameroon Mount Cameroon and Mokoko-Onge
Cameroon Mount Kupe
Cameroon Mount Mbam
Cameroon Mount Oku
Cameroon Mount Rata and Rumpi Hills Forest Reserve
Cameroon Njinsing - Tabenken
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Forests west of Lake Edward
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Itombwe Mountains
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Lendu Plateau
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Mount Kabobo
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Virunga National Park
Kenya Aberdare Mountains
Kenya Cherangani Hills
Kenya Kikuyu Escarpment forest
Kenya Mau forest complex
Kenya Mount Elgon (Kenya)
Kenya Mount Kenya
Malawi Misuku Hills Forest Reserves
Malawi Nyika National Park (Malawi)
Malawi Uzumara Forest Reserve
Nigeria Obudu Plateau
Rwanda Cyamudongo forest
Rwanda Nyungwe National Park
Rwanda Volcans National Park
South Sudan Imatong mountains
South Sudan Kidepo
Tanzania Arusha National Park and vicinity
Tanzania East Usambara Mountains
Tanzania Lake Manyara
Tanzania Livingstone Mountains forests
Tanzania Mahali Mountain National Park
Tanzania Mount Kilimanjaro
Tanzania Mount Rungwe
Tanzania Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Tanzania Nguru Mountains
Tanzania Njombe forests
Tanzania North Pare Mountains
Tanzania Rubeho Mountains
Tanzania South Pare Mountains
Tanzania Udzungwa Mountains
Tanzania Udzungwa National Park
Tanzania Uluguru Mountains
Tanzania Uvidunda Mountains
Tanzania West Usambara Mountains
Uganda Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Uganda Echuya Forest Reserve
Uganda Kasyoha-Kitomi Forest Reserve
Uganda Kibale National Park
Uganda Mount Elgon National Park
Uganda Ruwenzori (Rwenzori) Mountains National Park
Zambia Nyika National Park (Zambia)

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland major resident
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane major resident
Altitude 370 - 3380 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Waller's Starling Onychognathus walleri. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/wallers-starling-onychognathus-walleri on 23/12/2024.
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 23/12/2024.