Justification

This species has an extremely small, severely fragmented population which is declining owing to lowland forest destruction, combined with hunting and trade, thereby qualifying it as Critical.

Threats

Lowland forest destruction has eradicated almost all of this bird's habitat. In 1988, just 120 km² of forest remained on Mindoro , only 25% of which was closed-canopy. At current rates of loss, the island may lose all primary forest below 900 m within a few years. The forests at Siburan and Mt Iglit-Baco National Park are threatened by encroaching shifting cultivation and occasional selective logging. Rattan collection further disturbs the forest undergrowth. Dynamite-blasting for marble is a threat to forest at Puerto Galera. Hunting (using snares) for food and collection for the pet trade are additional threats, particularly during the dry season (February-May).

Conservation

It occurs in Mt Iglit-Baco National Park, where only tiny forest tracts remain. The forest at Siburan is effectively part of the Sablayan Penal Colony, although it is uncertain how much protection is afforded by this, or its inclusion in the F. B. Harrison Game Reserve. Funding has been provided for faunal inventories and environmental education initiatives at Puerto Galera, where hunting has been locally prohibited. In the mid-1990s, the species featured on a bilingual environmental awareness poster in the in the Philippinesseries.

Targets

*Produce a detailed map of remaining forests on Mindoro , and survey these systematically to clarify its current distribution and population status. *Conduct ecological studies to assess its requirements for breeding and foraging. *Produce a management plan for the forest at Siburan that reconciles biodiversity conservation with its role as a prison.