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. © 2001 BirdLife International Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge, CB3 0NA, United Kingdom Tel: +44 1223 277318 Fax: +44 1223 277200 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.birdlife.net BirdLife International is a UK-registered charity All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. 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. ASHY-HEADED LAUGHINGTHRUSH Garrulax cinereifrons Critical — Endangered — Vulnerable B1+2a,b,c,d,e; C1 This species has a small, declining population and range, which is also severely fragmented, as a result of clearance and degradation of its humid forest habitat. These factors qualify it as Vulnerable. DISTRIBUTION The Ashy-headed Laughingthrush is found in the lowland rainforests of the wet zone in south-west Sri Lanka, and at up to c.1,500 m on the southern and western aspects of the central mountains, in the lower montane forests of the hill zone. Its forest habitat is now fragmented within its small range (see Threats). Records (arranged approximately from north to south) are as follows: ■ SRI LANKA Kurunegala district, undated (Legge 1880); Puswella (Pusilwella), December 1865 (three specimens in BMNH); Galagedera (Gallagedara), February 1872 (specimen in BMNH); Kandy, undated (Hume 1878c); Deltota district, undated (Legge 1880); Punduloya, July 1882 (female in AMNH), July 1894 (three specimens in AMNH, BMNH and SMF), June 1895 (female in AMNH); Kitulgala, at Kitulgala resthouse, undated (Ranasinghe 1982), one, February 1981 (Mulford 1990); Nuwara Eliya, undated (Legge 1880); Avissawella (Awisavella), December 1865 (female in BMNH); Ikkadi Barawe Forest, 29 km from Colombo, February 1877 (Legge 1880, three specimens in BMNH); Thotupolakanda, above 2,300 m, pair, August (unspecified year) (Ceylon Bird Club News August 1987); Kelani valley, probable sight records, undated (Berlioz 1964); Palabaddala (Pallabaddoola Peak Range), undated (Layard 1853–1854); Peak Forests, now in the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary, Sabaragamuwa province, undated (Legge 1880), up to 1,500 m, 1890s (Lewis 1898); Rygamkorale, June 1895 (two specimens in AMNH and MCZ); Kuruwiti (Kuruwiti Korah Forests), Sabaragamuwa province, 1890s (Lewis 1898); Gilimale, April 1866 (two specimens in AMNH, BMNH); Kalu Ganga river, c.65 km inland from Kalatura, several specimens collected, undated (Layard 1853–1854); Gilimale-Eratne, one, 1991–1996 (IUCN/WCMC 1997); Bambarabotuwa, one, 1991–1996 (IUCN/WCMC 1997); Bolgoda, August 1894 (two specimens in MCZ); lower Bulatgama, Sabaragamuwa province, undated (Lewis 1898); Balangoda, February 1906 (female in USNM), c.1945 (Ripley 1946); Pettiyagalla (Petragalla), Balangoda, undated (Abdulali 1968–1996); Kaluweakella, Pelmadulla, August 1944 (male in USNM; also Ripley 1946); Kukal Korale (Kukkul Korale), undated (Legge 1880); Pasdun Korale, undated (Legge 1880); Karawita, one, 1991–1996 (IUCN/WCMC 1997); Morapitiya (Moupitiya), including Morapitiya Forest Reserve, August 1876 (male in BMNH), three flocks, March 1984 (Ceylon Bird Club News March 1984), pair nesting, March 1984, 10 birds, December 1987 (Ceylon Bird Club News December 1987); Badureliya, 70 km south-east of Colombo, under 50 m, November 1944 (Ripley 1946, male in USNM); Delwala, 20 sightings, July–September 1997 (Jones et al. 1998); Kudumiriya, 52 sightings, September 1997 (Jones et al. 1998); Rakwana, April 1929 (male in BMNH), c.1945 (Ripley 1946); Walankanda Forest Reserve, 24 sightings, August–September 1997 (Jones et al. 1998); Depedene estate, Rakwana, 750 m, September 1944 (Ripley 1946, five specimens in USNM); Sinharaja Forest Reserve, many records from before 1880 (Legge 1880) to January 1998 (P. J. Hines in litt. 1999) and down to the present (D. Warakagoda verbally 2000); Morningside (Sooriyakanda), 11 birds, March 2000 (K. Weerakoon in litt. 2000); Dellawa, one, 1991–1996 (IUCN/WCMC 1997); Diyadawa, one, 2061 Threatened birds of Asia SRI LANKA 1 1 2 3 4 5 7 6 9 10 8 11 14 12 13 17 15 20 16 19 18 21 24 23 26 25 27 22 30 28 29 33 32 31 35 34 36 37 38 I N D I A N O C E A N 2062 Garrulax cinereifrons 1991–1996 (IUCN/WCMC 1997); Batahena (untraced), one, 1991–1996 (IUCN/WCMC 1997). POPULATION There is little information on the population of this species, which has been recorded in small numbers at many sites (see Distribution). In the late nineteenth century it was “found sparingly” (Legge 1880), and in the mid-twentieth century it was considered “moderately plentiful” (Phillips 1953), indicating that it was never very abundant. Since then, it is likely to have declined significantly because of the reduction and fragmentation of the wet-zone forests that it inhabits (see Threats), and it has recently been described as “scarce” (Ranasinghe 1982) and “rare” (Kotagama and Fernando 1994). In three wet-zone lowland forests surveyed in 1997 it was well distributed throughout areas of undisturbed forest at all sites, but was always found at low densities (Jones et al. 1998). Monospecific flocks encountered by Legge (1880) and Lewis (1898) contained 10–20 individuals, but those found by Jones et al. (1998) contained no more than six. During a major survey of over 200 forest sites in Sri Lanka in 1991–1996, this species was recorded in only six forests (IUCN/WCMC 1997). Given its small range and the reduction in the area of its habitat, it is unlikely that it currently numbers more than a few thousand individuals. ECOLOGY Habitat This species is confined to relatively undisturbed areas of dense humid forest, at altitudes of up to at least c.1,520 m (Baker 1922–1930, Henry 1955).