Detailed Species Accounts from The

Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book

Editors N. J. COLLAR (Editor-in-chief), A. V. ANDREEV, S. CHAN, M. J. CROSBY, S. SUBRAMANYA and J. A. TOBIAS

Maps by RUDYANTO and M. J. CROSBY

Principal compilers and data contributors ■ BANGLADESH P. Thompson ■ BHUTAN R. Pradhan; C. Inskipp, T. Inskipp ■ CAMBODIA Sun Hean; C. M. Poole ■ CHINA ■ MAINLAND CHINA Zheng Guangmei; Ding Changqing, Gao Wei, Gao Yuren, Li Fulai, Liu Naifa, Ma Zhijun, the late Tan Yaokuang, Wang Qishan, Xu Weishu, Yang Lan, Yu Zhiwei, Zhang Zhengwang. ■ HONG KONG Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (BirdLife Affiliate); H. F. Cheung; F. N. Y. Lock, C. K. W. Ma, Y. T. Yu. ■ TAIWAN Wild Bird Federation of Taiwan (BirdLife Partner); L. Liu Severinghaus; Chang Chin-lung, Chiang Ming-liang, Fang Woei-horng, Ho Yi-hsian, Hwang Kwang-yin, Lin Wei-yuan, Lin Wen-horn, Lo Hung-ren, Sha Chian-chung, Yau Cheng-teh. ■ INDIA Bombay Natural History Society (BirdLife Partner Designate) and Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History; L. Vijayan and V. S. Vijayan; S. Balachandran, R. Bhargava, P. C. Bhattacharjee, S. Bhupathy, A. Chaudhury, P. Gole, S. A. Hussain, R. Kaul, U. Lachungpa, R. Naroji, S. Pandey, A. Pittie, V. Prakash, A. Rahmani, P. Saikia, R. Sankaran, P. Singh, R. Sugathan, Zafar-ul Islam ■ INDONESIA BirdLife International Indonesia Country Programme; Ria Saryanthi; D. Agista, S. van Balen, Y. Cahyadin, R. F. A. Grimmett, F. R. Lambert, M. Poulsen, Rudyanto, I. Setiawan, C. Trainor ■ JAPAN Wild Bird Society of Japan (BirdLife Partner); Y. Fujimaki; Y. Kanai, H. Morioka, K. Ono, H. Uchida, M. Ueta, N. Yanagisawa ■ KOREA ■ NORTH KOREA Pak U-il; Chong Jong-ryol, Rim Chu- yon. ■ SOUTH KOREA Lee Woo-shin; Han Sang-hoon, Kim Jin-han, Lee Ki-sup, Park Jin- young ■ LAOS K. Khounboline; W. J. Duckworth ■ MALAYSIA Malaysian Nature Society (BirdLife Partner); K. Kumar; G. Noramly, M. J. Kohler ■ MONGOLIA D. Batdelger; A. Bräunlich, N. Tseveenmyadag ■ MYANMAR Khin Ma Ma Thwin ■ NEPAL Bird Conservation Nepal (BirdLife Affiliate); H. S. Baral; C. Inskipp, T. P. Inskipp ■ PAKISTAN Ornithological Society of Pakistan (BirdLife Affiliate) ■ PHILIPPINES Haribon Foundation for Conservation of Natural Resources (BirdLife Partner); N. A. D. Mallari, B. R. Tabaranza, Jr. ■ RUSSIA Russian Bird Conservation Union (BirdLife Partner Designate); A. V. Andreev; A. G. Degtyarev, V. G. Degtyarev, V. A. Dugintsov, N. N. Gerasimov, Yu. N. Gerasimov, N. I. Germogenov, O. A. Goroshko, A. V. Kondrat’ev, Yu. V. Labutin, N. M. Litvinenko, Yu. N. Nazarov, V. A. Nechaev, V. I. Perfil’ev, R. V. Ryabtsev, Yu. V. Shibaev, S. G. Surmach, E. E. Tkachenko, O. P. Val’chuk, B. A. Voronov. ■ SINGAPORE The Nature Society (Singapore) (BirdLife Partner); Lim Kim Seng ■ SRI LANKA Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (BirdLife Affiliate); S. Kotagama; S. Aryaprema, S. Corea, J. P. G. Jones, U. Fernando, R. Perera, M. Siriwardhane, K. Weerakoon ■ THAILAND Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BirdLife Partner); U. Treesucon; R. Jugmongkol, V. Kongthong, P. Poonswad, P. D. Round, S. Supparatvikorn ■ VIETNAM BirdLife International Vietnam Country Programme; Nguyen Cu; J. C. Eames, A. W. Tordoff, Le Trong Trai, Nguyen Duc Tu.

With contributions from: S. H. M. Butchart, D. S. Butler (maps), P. Davidson, J. C. Lowen, G. C. L. Dutson, N. B. Peet, T. Vetta (maps), J. M. Villasper (maps), M. G. Wilson Recommended citation BirdLife International (2001) Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International.

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ISBN 0 946888 42 6 (Part A) ISBN 0 946888 43 4 (Part B) ISBN 0 946888 44 2 (Set)

British Library-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

First published 2001 by BirdLife International

Designed and produced by the NatureBureau, 36 Kingfisher Court, Hambridge Road, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 5SJ, United Kingdom

Available from the Natural History Book Service Ltd, 2–3 Wills Road, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5XN, UK. Tel: +44 1803 865913 Fax: +44 1803 865280 Email [email protected] Internet: www.nhbs.com/services/birdlife.html

The presentation of material in this book and the geographical designations employed do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of BirdLife International concerning the legal status of any country, territory or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Threatened birds of Asia

NICOBAR SPARROWHAWK Accipiter butleri

Critical — Endangered — Vulnerable C1

This species has been upgraded to Vulnerable because it is assumed to have a small, declining population as a result of forest loss.

DISTRIBUTION The Nicobar Sparrowhawk (see Remarks 1, 2) is endemic to the Nicobar Islands, India, in the Bay of Bengal. Two subspecies are recognised, A. b. butleri, which is endemic to Car Nicobar (Butler 1899–1900), and A. b. obsoletus, which is only known with certainty from Katchall in the Nancowry subgroup. As many islands in the archipelago are poorly studied, it is possible that it is more widely distributed. However, records from Great Nicobar (Abdulali 1968–1996, 1978, Sankaran 1998, K. Sivakumar verbally 1999) cannot be accepted, given that the first from the island, still the only specimen, proves to have been of a Besra Accipiter virgatus (Rasmussen 2000b), which in turn calls in slight doubt the recent records from Bompoka, Teressa, Pilu Milu and Little Nicobar, 1992–1995 (Sankaran 1997a; see Remarks 2). The same, unfortunately, is true of the provisionally identified specimen from Camorta in March 1966 (Abdulali 1967b, 1978), which proves also to be a Besra (P. C. Rasmussen verbally 2000; see Remarks 3), and which again casts a degree of uncertainty over subsequent sight records there in the period 1992–1995 (Sankaran 1997a). Records accepted here are from:

CAR NICOBAR 1 NICOBAR ISLANDS (INDIA)

TERESSA CAMORTA

2 KATCHALL

LITTLE NICOBAR

GREAT NICOBAR The distribution of Nicobar Sparrowhawk Accipiter butleri: (1) Car Nicobar; (2) Katchall. Historical (pre-1950)

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■ INDIA ■ Nicobar Islands Car Nicobar observed daily with four birds collected, September 1897 (Gurney 1898a,b, Butler 1899–1900), glimpsed once and unconfirmed in March–April 1977 (Abdulali 1968–1996, 1978), and unrecorded 1993–1995 (Sankaran 1997a); Katchall, February 1901 (Richmond 1902), and, provisionally, 1992–1995 (Sankaran 1997a; see Remarks 2).

POPULATION There have been no population estimates. Butler (1899–1900) judged nominate butleri to be not uncommon on Car Nicobar, although, more recently, Abdulali (1967b) and Sankaran (1998) did not (certainly) find it. Richmond (1902) described race obsoletus as apparently “common” on Katchall, and there are sight records from the 1990s (see above), although the status of these is uncertain (see Remarks 2). While it would be dangerous to speculate a decline on this basis, there is an obvious concern that neither the range nor the status of this species can be gauged with any confidence in the absence of clear identification criteria; on the other hand, a precautionary view of the situation suggests that the range may be very limited and a decline in progress.

ECOLOGY Habitat On Car Nicobar birds kept almost exclusively to the top of high trees, being “extremely shy” (Butler 1899–1900). On Katchall it is a bird of heavy forest, not in open ground, but, although also very shy there, birds would sometimes perch so close as to be impossible to shoot as preservable specimens (Richmond 1902). Food Lizards have been found in four specimens (Butler 1899–1900, Richmond 1902), insects in one (Richmond 1902). Breeding A nest was newly built, the occupiers about to lay, in September, c.12 m up at the end of a horizontal branch of a huge Ficus tree (Butler 1899–1900). At this time, many young juveniles were seen which seemed likely to have been “bred” in February or March, so it was assumed the species probably breeds twice a year (Butler 1899–1900); however, this has been thought unlikely (del Hoyo et al. 1994).

THREATS The Nicobar Sparrowhawk is one of (now) three threatened bird species in the suite of six (with the addition of the Nicobar Scops-owl Otus alius: see relevant account under Data Deficient) that are entirely restricted to the “Nicobar Islands Endemic Bird Area”, threats and conservation measures in which are profiled by Stattersfield et al. (1998). The primary threat to this species appears to be habitat loss. On Car Nicobar this has been estimated at 45%, significantly more than that in the Nancowry subgroup (Sankaran 1997a). A fuller discussion of threats on the islands appears in the equivalent section under Nicobar Megapode Megapodius nicobariensis.

MEASURES TAKEN The species is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

MEASURES PROPOSED Recommended actions on the islands are discussed in the equivalent section under Nicobar Megapode, but these do not cover Car Nicobar, which Sankaran (1997a) felt was too damaged by human settlement to be worth making any proposals for; however, in view of the cardinal importance of this island for this species, it is appropriate to call for a new evaluation of forest conservation opportunities on Car Nicobar before it is too late. In addition to the protection of areas, detailed surveys of the archipelago are urgently required to determine the true status of this species and investigate its ecological requirements. This will depend on painstaking fieldwork and the availability of a highly dependable identification guide.

REMARKS (1) Although these two subspecies were considered forms of Shikra A. badius by authors concerned chiefly with Indian ornithology (e.g. Abdulali 1967b, 1968–1996, Ali and

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Ripley 1968–1998, Ripley and Beehler 1989b), raptor experts (e.g. Grossman and Hamlet 1964, Brown and Amadon 1968) have tended to maintain them in their own species, as here, and since Mees (1980) this trend has strengthened (e.g. Sibley and Monroe 1990, Inskipp et al. 1996). (2) This species was treated as Near Threatened in BirdLife International (2000) at a time when Rasmussen (2000b) was in press. With the publication of the latter, it emerged that the text in the former, which was based on a draft of the present publication, was mistaken. The new classification reflects the greater uncertainty highlit by Rasmussen (2000b), and on this basis the sight records listed in Sankaran (1997a) must be regarded as provisional only. The only sight record listed under Distribution is that for Katchall, for which there is previous specimen proof of occurrence, but even so the record must be treated provisionally. To make such a decision over sight records involving so difficult a species is in no way a comment on the observer, who has a most distinguished record in bird conservation, but merely reflects the evolving knowledge of the problems relating to identification and presumption of range. (3) The identification of the Camorta bird was made from a videotape of the specimen made several years (but not reviewed) before the publication of Rasmussen (2000b). It is worth noting that W. L. Abbott, who collected the type-series of obsoletus, reported seeing a small hawk which he thought was obsoletus on Camorta (Richmond 1902), but of course he might have been mistaken.

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