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

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.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
C2a(i)	A2c+3c+4c; C2a(i); D	A2c+3c+4c; C2a(i); D1+2

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2021	Critically Endangered	C2a(i)
2018	Critically Endangered	C2a(i)
2016	Critically Endangered	C2a(i)
2015	Critically Endangered	C2a(i)
2013	Critically Endangered	C2a(i)
2012	Endangered	B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)
2008	Endangered	B1a+b(i,ii,iii,iv,v)
2007	Endangered
2006	Endangered
2004	Endangered
2000	Endangered
1996	Endangered
1994	Endangered
1988	Threatened

Migratory status	nomadic	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type	continent	Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	200,000 km2	medium
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding)	183,000 km2	medium
Number of locations	2	-
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	50-249 mature individuals	good	estimated	2020
Population trend	decreasing	medium	inferred	2012-2022
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	50-79%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	50-79%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	50-79%	-	-	-
Generation length	3.1 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	2	-	-	-

Population justification: The population in South Africa was previously estimated to be 235 birds, with at least a further 210-215 pairs in Ethiopia (A. Shimelis in litt. 1998), i.e. probably 700 mature individuals in total. The species can only be reliably surveyed in the breeding season in Ethiopia, but surveys risk disturbing nesting and thus have been avoided in the past (Y. D. Adebe in litt. 2013). Nevertheless, the most recent surveys by Colyn et al. (2020a, b) using cameras and acoustic monitoring yielded upper-limit population densities of 1 pair/5.8 ha in Ethiopia, and 1 pair in 6.7 ha in South Africa. This produced population estimates of 55 pairs in Ethiopia, and c.58 pairs in South Africa, producing a global population estimate of c.226 mature individuals, placed here in the band 50-249 mature individuals.

Trend justification: This species's population is inferred to be decreasing very rapidly in line with levels of disturbance, habitat loss and degradation in Ethiopia and South Africa (Atkinson et al. 1996; Taylor and van Perlo 1998; P. B. Taylor in litt. 1999; De Smidt 2003; Taylor and Grundling 2003; M. Drummond in litt. 2005; Y. Adebe, M. Ewnetu, G. Gebreselassie and H. Smit-Robinson in litt. 2013; Colyn et al. 2020a, c). The rate of decline is therefore suspected to fall in the 50-79% band.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Ethiopia	extant	native		yes
South Africa	extant	native	yes
Zambia	extant	vagrant
Zimbabwe	extant	native			yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
Ethiopia	Berga floodplain
Ethiopia	Sululta plain
South Africa	Franklin Vlei
South Africa	Grasslands
South Africa	Greater Ingwangwana River
South Africa	Ingula Nature Reserve
South Africa	Murphy's Rust
South Africa	Penny Park
South Africa	Steenkampsberg

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Grassland	Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude	major	non-breeding
Grassland	Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude	major	breeding
Altitude	1700 - 2600 m	Occasional altitudinal limits	(min) 1100 m

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Scale Unknown/Unrecorded	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Rapid Declines		Medium Impact: 7
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching - Scale Unknown/Unrecorded	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Rapid Declines		Medium Impact: 7
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Agriculture & aquaculture	Wood & pulp plantations - Scale Unknown/Unrecorded	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use	Gathering terrestrial plants - Unintentional effects (species is not the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest]	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Energy production & mining	Mining & quarrying	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Human intrusions & disturbance	Work & other activities	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Species disturbance, Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Unspecified species	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Natural system modifications	Dams & water management/use - Abstraction of surface water (agricultural use)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Natural system modifications	Dams & water management/use - Dams (size unknown)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression - Increase in fire frequency/intensity	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Other options	Other threat	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Whole (>90%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality
Pollution	Agricultural & forestry effluents - Soil erosion, sedimentation	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: White-winged Flufftail Sarothrura ayresi. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/white-winged-flufftail-sarothrura-ayresi on 26/12/2024.
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 26/12/2024.