Wildlife of Lao PDR: 1999 Status Report - IUCN

marginal to its range, even those retaining tall forest at 1500
m or more (e.g. Phou Louey, Nam Ha and Phou Dendin
NBCAs). It may have specific habitat requirements. It is thus
retained as Little Known in Lao PDR.
Conservation Management and Research Proposed for
Treecreepers:
• Conservation of adequate habitat areas.
• Clearer understanding of the species’s habitat needs.
Paridae: Penduline tits, true tits (6 species)
Cephalopyrus flammiceps Fire-capped Tit. Winter visitor;
north (historically B20 ). Habitat use unclear. The record in
Robichaud and Sounthala (1995) was withdrawn by the observer.
There remain only two Lao records: several birds at Lo-Tiao
(Bokeo Province) on 9 January 1939 (Delacour and Greenway
1940a) and four on a Mekong sand-bar upstream of Chiang
Saen (Thailand) on 25 December 1983 (PDR).
Parus major Great Tit. Resident; north (RJTim), centre
(historically B22 ), south B2 . Dry dipterocarp forest and open secondary
growth with pines; chiefly lowlands and plateaux and
unrecorded from many apparently suitable regions.
Parus monticolus Green-backed Tit. Resident; centre B17 .
Semi-evergreen and mixed deciduous forest on limestone at
220-500 m. First recorded for Lao PDR in 1996 in Hin Namno
NBCA, where its presence was reconfirmed in 1998 (Walston
in prep.). Although known only from one site, there is no
reason to think the species at risk in Lao PDR, even potentially.
Its habitat is barely accessible and the species is too
small for market-led hunting. Plumage differences between
the birds in Lao PDR and other populations of this rather
variable species may warrant taxonomic investigation.
Parus spilonotus Yellow-cheeked Tit. Resident; north B7 ,
centre B10 , south B2 . Evergreen forest and tall secondary growth
over 800 m.
Sylviparus modestus Yellow-browed Tit. Resident; north B8 ,
south B14 . Evergreen forest above 1500 m. Records prior to
1997 were reviewed by Thewlis et al. (1998). In view of the
low likelihood that the species is under any specific threat, it
was dropped from the recommended list of key species.
Melanochlora sultanea Sultan Tit. Resident; north, centre B10 ,
south B7 . Evergreen and mixed deciduous forests and mature
secondary growth at 200-1500 m.
Aegithalidae: Long-tailed tits (1 species)
Aegithalos concinnus Black-throated Tit. Resident; north,
centre, south B14 . Evergreen forest and secondary growth over
Birds
800 m, down to 490 m in winter. Records prior to 1997 were
reviewed by Thewlis et al. (1998). In view of the species’s
apparently secure status and the low likelihood that it is under
elevated threat, it was dropped from the recommended
list of key species.
Hirundinidae: Swallows, martins (10 species)
Riparia riparia Sand Martin. Winter visitor; north (PD),
centre (potentially B9 ; historically B22 ), south (potentially B15 ).
Marshes, wide rivers. The difficulties of distinguishing this
species from R. diluta Pale Martin (see Table 9) mean that
most of the recent records are identified only to the speciespair.
Sightings could involve either species. Records prior to
1997 were reviewed by Evans et al. (in prep. a). Historical
records (as R. r. ijimae) come from Xiangkhouang and
Savannakhet Provinces (David-Beaulieu 1944, 1949-1950).
• Riparia paludicola Plain Martin. Conservation Significance:
At Risk in Lao PDR. Documented Range and Habitat:
Resident; north B14 , centre (historically B22 ), south B14 . Wide
rivers, especially near sand banks, marshes. Status Information:
Records prior to 1997 were reviewed by Thewlis et al.
(1998). Historically the species was widespread and common
(e.g. Engelbach 1932, Delacour and Greenway 1940a,
David-Beaulieu 1944). Recently it has only been found commonly
at one site, Sangthong District (1996: Duckworth
1996a, 1997: PD), with a few at scattered northern localities.
There are two outlying records in the south: at Xe Pian NBCA
in December 1992 (Thewlis et al. 1998), and over the Mekong
near Champasak ferry in September 1997 (RJTiz). Two small
breeding colonies, several kilometers apart, were found on
the Mekong between Louangphabang and Pakou in December
1998 (L. Watson and C. Poole verbally 1998).
Hirundo concolor Dusky Crag Martin. Resident; north B9 ,
centre (WGR), south B5 . Rugged country with exposed cliffs
in both limestone and non-calcareous regions over at least
200-1700 m. Records prior to 1996 were reviewed by
Duckworth et al. (1998a).
Hirundo rustica Barn Swallow. Resident and winter visitor;
north, centre, south B2 . Only known to breed south to
Louangphabang (RJTiz) but small numbers over summer
even in south Lao PDR (PDR). Breeding birds live around
open areas (often near water and/or livestock), towns, villages;
non-breeders occur over any habitat.
• Hirundo smithii Wire-tailed Swallow. Conservation Significance:
Potentially At Risk in Lao PDR. Documented
Range and Habitat: Resident; north B1 , centre B16 , south B2 .
Wide rivers with rocky outcrops or man-made structures,
dispersing to a small extent over adjacent cultivation to feed.
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