breeding seasons from May to July. Fewer birds are lost during the autumn migration in October. Another cause of mortality is window strikes. As for many other species of bird, casualties from human-bird interaction are identified as a leading cause of decline in the fairy pitta. Status and conservation Population trend and threats There is no very accurate estimate of total population size of the species. Estimated numbers include ranges of 100 to 10,000 breeding pairs and 50 to 1,000 migrating individuals respectively in China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan; total population size is thought to be somewhere between a few thousand and a few tens of thousands of individuals. Although researchers estimate that the largest number of birds survive in China, no concrete study has been done. However, a worldwide trend of decline in the fairy pitta is clear enough to lead to a classification of the species as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and as endangered in CITES Appendix II. The main causes for the decline are habitat loss, trapping, hunting, and human disturbances. The causes of habitat disruption, which encompasses deforestation in the bird's breeding range, are essentially the results of human activity, but the characteristics of threats vary from one region to another. In Japan, where the fairy pitta was originally more common, significant areas of forest have been cleared since the 19th century for fuel and throughout the 20th century for the building of plantations. Since the logging has ceased and old growth forests have begun to recover, the fairy pitta population is expected to gradually increase. In contrast, vast forested areas in Southeast China have in the last 50 years been clear-cut or converted due to an increased demand for timber and farmland. There is also a lack of control of forest fires. In Borneo, a fairy pitta wintering ground, the continuing destruction of the Sundaic lowland primeval forest is more devastating. It is one of the most important Biodiversity hotspots in the world, but the deforestation is ongoing even in the protected areas and jeopardizing not only the fairy pitta, but also many other tropical species. Large scale developments also endanger local populations. In Yunlin County, Taiwan, the largest known breeding group of the species is being severely impacted by the flooding from the Hushan Dam project. Despite the imminent threats that the fairy pitta is facing in Taiwan, however,