Order
Passeriformes
Family
Parulidae
Genus
Geothlypis
 
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Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

SPECIES

Black-polled Yellowthroat Geothlypis speciosa

Viktor Antolin and Cameron K. Ghalambor
Version: 1.0 — Published February 7, 2014

Conservation

The IUCN Red List status of the Black-polled Yellowthroat is Endangered (Birdlife International 2014) due to its small population and its very small and declining range in only four known areas (a breeding population of 1500-7000 mature individuals and a distribution of only about 500 km2; BirdLife International 2014). It is considered Endangered under Mexican law (NOM-059 SEMARNAT 2010). Black-polled Yellowthroat also is considered a species at greatest risk of extinction by Partners in Flight (Berlanga et al. 2010). Based on determinations of habitat loss, Berlanga et al. (2010) estimated that 50% or more of its population has been lost during the last century.

Effects of human activity on populations

Black-polled Yellowthroat is dependent on specialized conditions in freshwater marsh habitats. The primary threat to this species is draining of wetlands, water extraction, conversion to agriculture, and other ecosystem modifications (Berlanga et al. 2010, BirdLife International 2014). It was extirpated from the Lake Texcoco region between the 1950s and1960s due to draining of the lake for agriculture (Dickerman 1970,  lcantara and Pliego 2005). The marshes in the upper Río Lerma are fragmented as a result of drainage and water extraction to supply México City and Toluca, and water-levels of Lagos Yuriria, Pátzcuaro and Cuitzeo have been reduced due to drainage and a natural build-up of organic material (BirdLife International 2014).

Recommended Citation

Antolin, V. and C. K. Ghalambor (2014). Black-polled Yellowthroat (Geothlypis speciosa), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.blpyel1.01