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BirdLife International, which manages the global threat categories of birds on behalf of the World Conservation Union’s Red List, is proposing the recategorization of three albatross species, calling for comments to be posted to its Globally Threatened Bird Forum for Seabirds by 19 August 2013.  Following this, the final decisions will be announced.

New information on the population or range size and trends of a species, or the threats impacting it, may indicate that a species warrants uplisting or downlisting to higher or lower categories of threat.  In such cases, BirdLife International’s web-based Globally Threatened Bird Forums are used to advertise the proposed change and to solicit relevant information or comment from a wide network of experts and organisations (click here).

The albatross and petrel species proposed for change are:

Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes:  Vulnerable to Near Threatened

Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris: Endangered to Near Threatened

Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma: Vulnerable to Endangered.

Black-browed Albatross, now be Near Threatened?

Photographed on Marion Island by Genevieve Jones

It is also proposed following review not to change the status of Amsterdam Albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis (currently Critically Endangered; proposed downlisting to Endangered) and Northern Royal Albatross D. sanfordi (currently Endangered).

Discussions on procellariiform species that lack sufficient feedback to enable a decision will be held over until next year ahead of the 2014 Red List update.  These include the White-capped Albatross T. steadi (currently Near Threatened; proposed uplisting to Vulnerable), White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis (Vulnerable; uplisting to Endangered), Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas (Least Concern) and Matsudaira's Storm Petrel Oceanodroma matsudairae (Data Deficient) (click here).

In addition the ACAP-listed Grey Petrel P. cinerea (Near Threatened) has recently been recommended to BirdLife’s Globally Threatened Bird Forum for Seabirds for uplisting to Vulnerable.  A decision on whether to proceed with a review of its conservation status for the 2014 round of decisions is currently pending.

With thanks to Joe Taylor for information

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 4 August 2013