Egretta eulophotes

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	CICONIIFORMES	ARDEIDAE

Scientific Name:

Egretta eulophotes

Species Authority:

(Swinhoe, 1860)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Chinese Egret

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable C2a(i) ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Butchart, S., Bird, J., Crosby, M.

Contributor/s:

Chan, S.

Justification:
This species has a small, declining population, principally as a result of the reclamation of tidal mudflats and estuarine habitats for industry, infrastructure development and aquaculture. These factors qualify it as Vulnerable.

History:

2004	–	Vulnerable
2000	–	Vulnerable
1996	–	Endangered
1994	–	Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Egretta eulophotes breeds on small islands off the coasts of eastern Russia, North Korea, South Korea and mainland China. It formerly bred in Taiwan (China) and Hong Kong (China), but is now only a non-breeding visitor or passage migrant. It is also a non-breeding visitor to Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Peninsular and eastern Malaysia (Sarawak), Singapore, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi) and Brunei. Key wintering areas are the Eastern Visayas (Leyte, Bohol and Cebu), Philippines, and the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Selangor where 30-50% of the global populaton are believed to winter based on winter counts in 2004/2005². The population is estimated at 2,600-3,400 birds. There has been no significant decline in this species in the last ten years¹, and recent discoveries of new colonies off southern China may represent increased observer effort, but possibly indicate some improvement in the species's status.
Countries:	Native: Brunei Darussalam; China; Hong Kong; Indonesia; Japan; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Malaysia; Philippines; Russian Federation; Singapore; Taiwan, Province of China; Thailand; Viet Nam Vagrant: United States Present - origin uncertain: Macao
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Population estimate from BirdLife International (2001) based on recent records and surveys
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It occurs in shallow tidal estuaries, mudflats and bays, occasionally visiting paddy-fields and fishponds. Since 1985, all breeding records have been from offshore islands.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	By the end of the 19th century, it had almost been extirpated by trade in its plumes and persecution. Today, the greatest threat is habitat loss and degradation through reclamation of tidal flats and estuarine habitats for infrastructure, industry, aquaculture and agriculture, and through pollution. Fishers in Liaoning, China, collect eggs for food and breeding birds are threatened by disturbance. The rapid decline of a colony at Shin-do, South Korea, in the early 1990s, was apparently a result of disturbance by photographers.

Major Threat(s):

By the end of the 19th century, it had almost been extirpated by trade in its plumes and persecution. Today, the greatest threat is habitat loss and degradation through reclamation of tidal flats and estuarine habitats for infrastructure, industry, aquaculture and agriculture, and through pollution. Fishers in Liaoning, China, collect eggs for food and breeding birds are threatened by disturbance. The rapid decline of a colony at Shin-do, South Korea, in the early 1990s, was apparently a result of disturbance by photographers.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway CMS Appendix I. It is legally protected in Russia, China (including Hong Kong), Taiwan, and South Korea. Some important breeding, staging and wintering sites are protected, including the Far Eastern Marine Reserve (Russia) and sites in China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines. Conservation Actions Proposed Survey the coast of China, North Korea and South Korea for breeding sites and monitor existing sites. Survey its wintering range for new sites and establish a winter monitoring programme. Create a network of environmentally stable sites for it in the central Philippines. Extend the boundaries of the Far Eastern Marine Reserve to include the coast between the Tumen river mouth and Pos'yet Bay (Russia). Establish as protected areas Thai Thuy in the Red River delta and Bai Boi in the Mekong delta (Vietnam). Incorporate mudflats and mangroves near Krabi within the Hat Nopparat Tara National Park (Thailand). Establish protected areas at Pulau Bruit, Sarawak (Malaysia). Prohibit egg-collecting in the breeding grounds in China and North Korea.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
CMS Appendix I. It is legally protected in Russia, China (including Hong Kong), Taiwan, and South Korea. Some important breeding, staging and wintering sites are protected, including the Far Eastern Marine Reserve (Russia) and sites in China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Survey the coast of China, North Korea and South Korea for breeding sites and monitor existing sites. Survey its wintering range for new sites and establish a winter monitoring programme. Create a network of environmentally stable sites for it in the central Philippines. Extend the boundaries of the Far Eastern Marine Reserve to include the coast between the Tumen river mouth and Pos'yet Bay (Russia). Establish as protected areas Thai Thuy in the Red River delta and Bai Boi in the Mekong delta (Vietnam). Incorporate mudflats and mangroves near Krabi within the Hat Nopparat Tara National Park (Thailand). Establish protected areas at Pulau Bruit, Sarawak (Malaysia). Prohibit egg-collecting in the breeding grounds in China and North Korea.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2008. Egretta eulophotes. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 February 2012.
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