Sarothrura ayresi | SANBI Sensitive Species

Assessor: Melissa Whitecross

Sensitive in 2010

Family

Rallidae

Reason for the sensitivity status

Evidence of trade of other flufftail species exists in Africa. This is a species which has an estimated fewer than 250 individuals remaining in the world and is arguably South Africa’s most threatened bird. BirdLife recommends that sighting data of this species be highly generalised and broad-scale information on wetlands where the species is known to occur only be shared with highly vetted EIA consultants.

This species is either similar to or belongs to a group containing sensitive species, and is extremely rare in the wild. The localities of wild populations need to be protected to avoid loss to exploitation, which, due to its rarity, could drive the species to extinction within a very short time.

Exploitation extent

Uncertain - No data exists yet showing that this species is exploited in the wild, however it has one or more relatives or look-alike species (found in South Africa or globally) that are known to be utilised. This species has a similar life form or other relevant traits to its exploited relative(s), making it highly likely that it would be exploited for the same purposes.

Justification and references

Evidence of trade of other flufftail species exists in Africa (Nikolaus 2011), despite no direct evidence of trade in White-winged Flufftails. The low population numbers and restricted global range, however, make this species vulnerable to exploitation (Taylor et al. 2015).

References

Nikolaus, G., 2011. The fetish culture in West Africa: an ancient tradition as a threat to endangered bird life. Tropical Vertebrates in a Changing World, pp.145-150.

Taylor MR, Peacock F, Wanless RM (eds). 2015. The 2015 Eskom Red Data book of birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Johannesburg: BirdLife South Africa.

Population vulnerability

Population is vulnerable: size is <= 2500 mature individuals OR the number of known subpopulations is <= 5 OR range is <= 100km² OR species at risk of localised extinctions

Justification and references

The global population of White-winged Flufftails is estimated at <700 individuals (BirdLife International 2016) with <40 individuals within South Africa (Taylor et al. 2015).

References:

BirdLife International. 2016. Sarothrura ayresi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22692245A93343964. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22692245A93343964.en. Downloaded on 04 January 2018.

Taylor MR, Peacock F, Wanless RM (eds). 2015. The 2015 Eskom Red Data book of birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Johannesburg: BirdLife South Africa.

Targeted demographics

Unknown.

Regeneration potential

This species has a slow population growth rate, or the growth rate varies depending on habitat, and there is a poor chance the wild populations will recover from exploitation OR a collector might feasibly harvest the entire extant population removing the chance of subsequent recruitment.

Justification and references

Given the restricted range of this species with only one known breeding site in Ethiopia (Shimelis et al. 2003) and very few known localities of occurrence within South Africa, losses of any individuals would be catastrophic for this species.

Shimelis, A., Teferra, A., Wondafrash, M., Coetzee, D., Drummond, M. M., De Smidt, A., and Evans, S.W. (eds.). 2003. Ethiopian White-winged Flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi) Action Plan. BirdLife South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa.