The ashy-breasted flycatcher (''Muscicapa randi'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the family

Muscicapidae The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia), with the exception of several vagrants and two species, Bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica)'' and Northe ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

found only on the islands of

Negros Negros is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . Negros is one of the many islands of the Visayas, in the central part of the country. The predominant inhabitants of the island region a ...

and

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Description

EBird eBird is an online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. Originally restricted to sightings from the Western Hemisphere, the project ...

describes the bird as "A little-known small drab bird of lowland and foothill forest. Gray-brown above, darker in the wing, with a gray-brown chest blending to a white belly and a small white throat patch. Note the bicolored bill, black above and orange below. Similar to Furtive Flycatcher, but slightly larger, with an orange lower bill, no rufous outer tail feathers, and no black band on the end of the tail. Song consists of very high-pitched short phrases repeated at intervals. "

Habitat and conservation status

It inhabits primary and secondary growth

up to 1,000 meters above sea level. It exhibits some tolerance to

habitat degradation Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

being recorded in clearings. It is often found perching on exposed branches near the canopy. Birds caught in August and September at Dalton Pass, Luzon, suggest that it may undertake intra-island movements, but possibly little more than post-breeding dispersal. It has been assessed as vulnerable with a population currently between 6,000 and 15,000 and believed to be declining. In 1988, it was estimated that as little as 4% of original forest remained on Negros, 24% on Luzon with these figures continuing to decline. This species' main threat is

with wholesale clearance of forest habitats as a result of legal and

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a ...

agricultural conversion Land development is the alteration of landscape in any number of ways such as: * Changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or housing * Subdividing real estate into lots, typically for the purp ...

and

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the econom ...

activities occurring within the range. In 1988, it was estimated that as little as 4% of original forest remained on Negros, 24% on Luzon with these figures continuing to decline. It has been recorded in a few protected areas including Mount Makiling National Park and

Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park is the largest protected area of the Philippines covering the northern range of the Sierra Madre mountains of eastern Luzon. The park is located in the eastern part of the province of Isabela in Cagayan Va ...

, however like most areas in the country, protection against deforestation and hunting is lax. It has also been found in the proposed area of Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park which has received conservation funding. Conservation actions proposed include to re-examine museum specimens of Muscicapa flycatchers from the Philippines to check identification, in order to resolve its anomalous distribution. Survey to further investigate its true distribution and population. Extend the

and improve enforcement. Afford formal protection to Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park.

References

External links

* ashy-breasted flycatcher Endemic birds of the Philippines ashy-breasted flycatcher ashy-breasted flycatcher Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Muscicapidae-stub