||Yellow-bellied Sunbird-asity, Small-billed Asity, Yellow-bellied Asity
||Faux-Souimanga à ventre jaune
Neodrepanis hypoxanthus hypoxanthus Collar et al. (1994)
||del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
||9-10 cm. Tiny, brilliantly-coloured bird with very short tail and fine, fairly long and decurved bill. Males have blackish upperparts, edged iridescent blue. Underparts are unsullied yellow, bill and legs blackish. Large wattle extends from base of bill to well behind eye, ultramarine with turquoise. Females are duller above, olive-green, and lack eye-wattle, although still brilliant yellow underneath. Similar spp. Males distinguished from Sunbird Asity N. coruscans by combination of blackish (not yellow-fringed) primaries, unsullied yellow underparts, more extensive eye-wattle, particularly in front of eye, and shorter, less decurved bill. Females have centre of breast (at least) bright yellow. From Souimanga Sunbird Nectarinia souimanga also by very short tail and tiny size.
|Red List Category & Criteria:
||Butchart, S. & Symes, A.
||Hawkins, F. & Andriamasimanana, R.
||Ekstrom, J., Evans, M., Shutes, S., Starkey, M., Symes, A., Taylor, J. & Westrip, J.
This species is listed as Vulnerable because it has a small range that is severely fragmented and suspected to be declining, owing to reductions in the the extent and quality of its habitat. Climate change may prove to be a threat in the future.
|Previously published Red List assessments:|
- 2012 – Vulnerable (VU)
- 2008 – Vulnerable (VU)
- 2004 – Vulnerable (VU)
- 2000 – Endangered (EN)
- 1996 – Endangered (EN)
- 1994 – Endangered (EN)
- 1988 – Threatened (T)
|Range Description:||Neodrepanis hypoxantha, endemic to the higher-altitude parts of eastern Madagascar, is difficult to distinguish from its only congener, N. coruscans. It is known from 13 specimens collected before 1933 and from recent observations. Now that identification criteria are known for this species, its true distribution is becoming clear. It is known from the Marojejy and Anjanaharibe-Sud massifs in the north to the Andohahela massif in the south and is common above 1,200-1,400 m, up to the limit of woody vegetation, e.g. 2,500 m on Tsaratanana (ZICOMA 1999). It is probably present at all intact sites within the eastern forest block that are higher than about 1,200 m (ZICOMA 1999). Its total population size is very difficult to guess, but is potentially more than 10,000 mature individuals. |
|♦ Continuing decline in area of occupancy (AOO):||Yes|
|♦ Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO):||No||♦ Estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) - km2:||5500|
|♦ Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO):||Yes||♦ Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO):||No|
|♦ Number of Locations:||11-100||♦ Continuing decline in number of locations:||Unknown|
|♦ Extreme fluctuations in the number of locations:||No||♦ Lower elevation limit (metres):||1200|
|♦ Upper elevation limit (metres):||2500|
|Range Map:||Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.|
|Population:||The total population size is very difficult to guess, but it is potentially more than 10,000 mature individuals, thus a preliminary estimate in the range 10,000-19,999 mature individuals is used here. This equates to 15,000-29,999 individuals in total, rounded here to 15,000-30,000 individuals. Further documentation is required.|
Trend Justification: The population is suspected to be in decline owing to the degradation of the species's habitat by fires. Future declines are expected, owing to the eventual clearance of upper montane forest and shrubland for agriculture. Past and future rates of decline have not been fully estimated, but modelling the possible effects of climate change have shown that this species's ecological niche may decline by as much as 98% due to climate change over the 50 year period from 2000 to 2050 (Andriamasimanana and Cameron 2013). Assuming a linear decrease, this would equate to a c.36% decline in its ecological niche over its next 3 generations, placed here in the range of 30-49% (24% in next 2 generations, 12% in next generation).
|Current Population Trend:||Decreasing|
|♦ Number of mature individuals:||10000-19999||♦ Continuing decline of mature individuals:||Yes|
|♦ Extreme fluctuations:||No||♦ Population severely fragmented:||Yes|
|♦ No. of subpopulations:||2-100||♦ Continuing decline in subpopulations:||Unknown|
|♦ Extreme fluctuations in subpopulations:||No||♦ All individuals in one subpopulation:||No|