Blue-headed Racquet-tail

The species is endemic to the islands of Palawan, Balabac Island, Dumaran Island, Linapacan, Culion, and Busuanga Island. Estimated population size is approximately 2,500-10,000 birds. This corresponds to about 1,500-7,000 mature individuals. It inhabits lowland forest and adjacent cultivated areas, and occasionally scrubland and mangroves, at altitudes of up to at least 300 m.

The species is currently classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, and has been since 1994. While there are no reliable current trend estimates, the presence of a variety of environmental threats make an ongoing population decline very likely. Deforestation is considered the worst threat. On Palawan, deforestation has been rapid due to large mining and logging operations. Mining for chromite on Palawan (and surrounding islands) has contributed majorly to habitat destruction in the area. Illegal logging seems to prevalent in southern Palawan, further putting the blue-headed racket-tail at risk. Capture for the illegal exotic pet trade has a minor impact, as it is usually only captured and sold locally, with very few shipments going out of the Palawan area. Most of the time, the birds die quickly in captivity. The species is present in conservation areas, since the entirety of Palawan is technically a game reserve where hunting is illegal (however this still occurs), and there are populations in several other protected areas.