Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
| Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
high |
| Land-mass type |
continent
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as rare (Gibbs et al. 2001). The known occupied range is large, and the recent documentation of the species from the Central African Republic indicates that if searched for it will be found to occupy a proportion of the very large area of habitat between eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic. The uncertainty means the population size cannot be estimated, but this new information suggests it is much larger than previously suspected.
It is assumed to occur in multiple subpopulations based on the large gaps in distribution and lack of evidence for regular long-range dispersal or movement. There is no movement data for the species. The large gap in distribution between the western and eastern parts of the range are assumed to represent separate subpopulations. Further apparent gaps in the distribution in the east indicate there could be further subdivisions, and in the west records come from at least three areas separated by areas of unsuitable habitat below the elevational limit of the species. Hence it is suspected that there are at least two subpopulations, and there may be up to 10, but more information is required to determine the true population structure.
Trend justification:
The species is highly forest dependent, although is noted to use coffee-bush habitat adjacent to forest. Over the past three generations between 9.3% (2000 forest cover/30% canopy cover) and 11.9 % (2010 forest cover/75 % canopy cover) of forest cover has been lost from within the known and probable occurrence range of the species (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). This is suspected to be causing a decline in the population size, but the relationship between abundance and forest area is uncertain. The use of modified forest habitat suggests it may have a small degree of tolerance to degradation and fragmentation, hence it is unclear that degradation beyond the rate of forest loss would drive additional declines above the rate of forest loss. Importantly, the recent documentation of the species from the Central African Republic indicates the true range of the species is much larger area. If this possibly extant range is included, the rate of forest cover loss is lower, between 5.3% (2000 forest cover/30% canopy cover) and 9.3% (2000 forest cover/75% canopy cover). No other threats have been reported for this species. As such, the rate of population reduction over the past three generations (12 years) is suspected to have fallen between 5% and 15%.
The rate of forest loss has increased in recent years within both the known and probable range and the possibly extant range (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). Projecting the annual mean rate of forest loss based on the most recent five years over the next three generations gives a range of 11.7% (2000 forest cover/30% canopy cover) and 15.2% (2000 forest cover/75% canopy cover) for the known and probable range, and 7.1% (2000 forest cover/30% canopy cover) and 12.3% (2000 forest cover/75 % canopy cover) including possibly extant range (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). The most rapid mean rate of reduction for a three-generation period that includes the present (2022) spans the years 2018-2030, and reflects that for the future three generations: between 11.8% (2000 forest cover/30% canopy cover) and 15.5% (2000 forest cover/75% canopy cover) for the known and probable range, and 7.0% (2000 forest cover/30% canopy cover) and 12.2% (2000 forest cover/75% canopy cover) including possibly extant range (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). On the same basis as for the past rate of reduction, assuming that additional threats are not operating and that the impact of degradation and fragmentation is unlikely to be large, the population reduction over the future three generations and for the past and future three generations that include the current year is suspected to be between 7% and 19%.
If presence in Gabon (H. Rainey in litt. 2023) is confirmed the overall rate of forest loss within the range will be slightly lower.
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: White-naped Pigeon Columba albinucha. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/white-naped-pigeon-columba-albinucha 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.
