Azores priolo count holds at about 1,000 birds after volunteer survey

The fifth Priolo Atlas, run in June 2026 by the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA), finds the world population of this São Miguel endemic stable at around 1,000 individuals. More than 70 volunteers and technicians from nine countries covered the species' whole range, logging birds at roughly 300 count points at once. At the start of the century the bird was close to extinction; two decades of conservation, including restoring Laurissilva forest, reversed that. Habitat loss remains the main threat, so protection and monitoring continue, including audio recorders that detect birds year-round.