BirdLife species factsheet for Rufous-tailed Antbird Rufous-tailed Antbird Drymophila genei occurs in montane forests of south-east Brazil (south Espírito Santo, south-east Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and north-east São Paulo) (Ridgely and Tudor 1994, Parker et al. 1996). It has been recorded at eight sites, most of which are isolated patches of habitat (J. M. Goerck in litt. 2000). It is currently listed as Near Threatened under criterion B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v) because it was thought to have a moderately small and highly fragmented range, likely to be in decline. However, mapping of this species’s range shows that its Extent of Occurrence (EOO) is larger than previously thought, estimated to be 43,300km2. Population declines could be occurring due to habitat degradation in parts of the range, as well as the effects of population isolation due to extreme fragmentation, but these declines are unlikely to be severe as the montane habitats occupied by this species are under limited pressure from human development. Also, the global population size has not been quantified, but this species is described as ‘common’ (Stotz et al. 1996). If this information is confirmed, and the species’s EOO does not approach 20,000km2 and the population is not in continuing decline, it would no longer approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion and would warrant downlisting to Least Concern. Further information on distribution, population size and trends is requested, and additional comments on the proposed downlisting are welcome. References: Parker, T. A., Stotz, D. F. and Fitzpatrick, J. W. (1996) Ecological and distributional databases. In: Stotz, D.F., Fitzpatrick, J.W., Parker, T.A. and Moskovits, D.K. (ed.), Neotropical bird ecology and conservation, pp. 113-436. University of Chicago Press: Chicago. Ridgely, R. S. and Tudor, G. (1994) The birds of South America. University of Texas Press: Austin, Texas.
Archived 2012-2013 topics: Rufous-tailed Antbird (Drymophila genei): downlist to Least Concern?
This entry was posted in Americas, Archive, South America and tagged Rufous-tailed Antbird. Bookmark the permalink.
Resident populations of Rufous-tailed Antbird have remained steady in our area over the past 10 years. We find them to be locally common anywhere above 1600m in the Serra dos Orgaos National Park and the Tres Picos State Park, both in Rio de Janeiro State. In our local area there is little threat to this species by human development as most areas occupied by this species are now protected against further development. The only possible cause for concern is damage to their habitat by fires.