Endangered songbird from Cebu given improved conservation status

The endangered bird Black Shama, locally known in Cebu as Siloy, has been given an improved conservation status by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a local biodiversity conservation group announced.

"An upgrade (improved status) means that the species' population has improved, better information is available to make a more informed decision," Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PBCFI) Executive Director Lisa Paguntalan-Marte told GMA Integrated News.

"We were able to determine presence of species in areas that did not have previous records of siloy, know that siloy survives in a variety of habitats even tree plantations and degraded habitats," she added.

In a scientific paper posted by the Cambridge University Press, Paguntalan-Marte and other authors shared that "A total of 111 point count stations was surveyed resulting in 93 Black Shama detections. Using point count Distance sampling, the population density was estimated at 313 individuals/km2 for a total population of 11,839 individuals (9,160–15,415). The largest sub-population (10,470) was in Alcoy, followed by Argao (711), and Dalaguete (325)."

"Our total population estimate and sub-population estimates were higher than the estimate of 6,650 individuals made by BirdLife International for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The species was found to survive in a variety of habitats in at least 20 localities covering roughly 37 km2 of karst forest."

Songbird of Cebu

The Black Shama, based on information from the PBCFI website, "is a shy, elusive songbird that occurs only in the Philippines. Males are blue-black, females are brownish, and both have black bills, eyes, and legs."

These birds are "gifted singers, producing complicated yet melodious calls lasting 20 seconds or more. The habitat of the black shama is the lowlands and forest foothills of the island of Cebu, but deforestation has reduced its numbers and they are now quite rare."

The decades spent to monitor and count the Siloy in its habitats have taken fruit, says Paguntalan-Marte.

"It is a testament of how local communities (Forest wardens of Alcoy) protected and helped Siloy recover its population. That citizen science participation helped a landscape-level survey to help determine population density of a threatened endemic bird. That sustained support for locally managed forest areas can lead us to saving species," said the wildlife biologist.

"And by working together (government, civil society, local communities, private sector and media) and doing it right l, we can help save species from extinction," she added.

Conservation efforts

She said that from 2017- 2019, local government units, civil society, private sector, media and local communities conducted synchronized Siloy Watch across Cebu.

The groups include the Cebu LGU Provincial Environment Natural Resources Office during the time of then Governor Hilario Davide Jr., DENR VII, academe, citizen scientists, and the towns of Alcoy, Dalaguete, Argao, CCPL, Catmon, Carmen, Sogod, and at one time with Alegria.

"Apart from this, we have our own independent information from our own surveys as PhilBio (PBCFI ). Because we have comprehensive data generated following standardised methods, and reducing biases in surveys (e.g. synchronized counts, trained lead participants, etc.) We were able to get robust data that allows us to do Distance Analysis to generate population density of the species," the PBCFI official said. — BAP, GMA Integrated News