Conservation

This species has been listed as endangered in the Mexican Official Norm (DOF 2002) and Near-Threatened globally (Bird Life International 2009), due to the lack of ecological information, its restricted distribution, and the high rates of deforestation in regions where it occurs. Humid mountain forests (pine-oak and cloud) have been deforested and landscape matrix is in different successional stages. Deforestation levels vary in intensity and frequency with use of land history, environmental attributes and levels socio-economics in each site or location (Ochoa-Gaona 2001). For instance, traditional use of the forest has a high frequency of disturbance but moderate intensity (Barrón-Sevilla 2002). Human activities as agriculture, selective extraction of wood for firewood and coal, increases in the extent of pasture and grazing of sheep, unplanned urban growth, uncontrolled fires, and banks of sand and rocks have affected the habitat of this species. Currently, cloud and humid pine-oak forests in good condition are restricted in high slopes or high mountains that are of difficult access.