Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic note
Previously placed in Polihierax (del Hoyo & Collar 2014) but merits separate genus on basis of different syringeal morphology (Griffiths 1994), by habit of nesting in tree holes made by other birds (rather than in cavities in nest structure of others) (Kemp & Vidhidharm 1998) and phylogeny (Fuchs et al. 2015). Racial variation slight; validity of subspecies requires reassessment. Three subspecies currently recognized.
Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2021. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 6. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v6_Dec21.zip.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
| Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
medium |
| Land-mass type |
continent
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: The global population size of this species has not been quantified, an exercise that is rendered very difficult by its peculiarly unpredictable abundance. In Myanmar, survey coverage is low but it appears to be somewhat localised (eBird 2023). In Thailand, mostly occurs in the west where it has evidently always been rather scarce (Deignan 1945, Lekagul and Round 1991, Treesucon and Limparungpatthanakij 2018, eBird 2023). In Lao PDR, perhaps surprisingly scarce with very few records despite, at least historically, ample suitable habitat and reasonable survey effort (reviewed in Duckworth et al. 1999, Timmins et al. in press). In Viet Nam, has likely always been localised, but birds remain common and frequently encountered at some sites (e.g. Yok Don National Park: eBird 2023). In Cambodia, the most comprehensive review of its distribution and occurrence was undertaken by Goes (2013), who summarised it as being 'widespread and not uncommon across the northern half [of Cambodia], but scarce and local in the southwest'. This pattern of records is consistent with recent observations (eBird 2023), which indicate the species' tolerance of some very heavily degraded forest. It is likely that Cambodia is a stronghold for this species.
Evaluating national descriptions of abundance, it is impossible to accurately quantify the population size of this species but it remains at least locally quite common, and is therefore not believed to have a very small population size. More comprehensive surveys of abundance (especially away from Cambodia), should be considered a priority.
Trend justification: Inferred to be declining moderately rapidly in response to forest loss and, locally, hunting (BirdLife International 2001, Goes 2013, Timmins et al. in press). This species has somewhat obscure habitat needs and use (being common in some parts of its range, even in heavily degraded habitat, and unexpectedly scarce in others), rendering an accurate appraisal of rates of decline difficult to accomplish. Throughout its range it has a clear affinity for dry, typically lowland, dipterocarp forest, which over the past 20 years has been extensively cleared, chiefly for agriculture. While empirical evidence are few, the global rate of decline is suspected of having been moderately rapid over the past three generations (12 years: 2011-2023). Remote sensing data indicate that in this time window, 15-20% of forest cover within this species' range has been lost (Global Forest Watch 2023, based on data from Hansen et al. (2013) and methods disclosed therein) but there are several assumptions to be considered when converting this to a rate of population decline. First, in parts of its range, it is evidently tolerant of habitat degradation, although even in its strongholds (e.g. north Cambodia) there is suggestion that fragmentation and severe degradation may still prove a threat (Goes 2013). Second, to convert the rate of forest cover loss to population reduction assumes that the species is evenly distributed across its mapped range. For this species in particular, this is not a fair assumption. It is likely that Cambodia hosts a significant minority, or perhaps even a majority, of the species' global population (despite being only a small proportion of the mapped range), although even here it ranges from locally common in the north to very scarce and local in the south (Goes 2013). Forest loss in this part of the world has been especially rapid (Global Forest Watch 2023) and therefore rates of population decline may be steeper than if an even density is assumed. Finally, in parts of its range localised hunting may be a threat (especially in Lao PDR and Myanmar), contributing an unknown amount to declines.
Accounting for the range of scenarios, and the acceptance that in the absence of robust monitoring schemes any estimation of the rate of decline of this species is highly speculative, it is suspected that it has declined by 10-29% over the past three generations. There is no indication that the threats have either slowed or ceased, and this same rate is therefore projected also into the future.
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: White-rumped Pygmy-falcon Neohierax insignis. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/white-rumped-pygmy-falcon-neohierax-insignis on 23/11/2024.
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 23/11/2024.
