Sulu Bleeding-heart Gallicolumba menagei Scientific name definitions

Tawitawi, in S Sulu Is (S Philippines). An old sight record from Jolo (C Sulu Is) has never been confirmed.

Unknown.

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. Restricted-range species: present in Sulu Archipelago EBA. Restricted to Tawitawi, and known with certainty from two specimens collected in 1891. It was not recorded during a 22-day visit to the island in Dec 1971, nor during a brief visit to the island in Sept 1991, when extensive forests still remained. Inspections in 2009 also failed to find the bird. The once extensive forests of Tawitawi had been almost completely cleared by Aug 1994. Threatened by uncontrolled hunting as well as habitat loss. The island of Jolo, whence there is an old, unconfirmed sighting, is now completely devoid of forest. There are rumours of its continued existence on other offshore islets, and claims that it was common until the 1970s. Intensive surveys urgently required, especially of islets where species reported by local people still to be common, in order to establish current status of remaining populations, and plan for successful long-term conservation of the species.