Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	CICONIIFORMES	CICONIIDAE

Scientific Name:

Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis

Species Authority:

(Shaw, 1800)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Saddle-billed Stork
French	–	Jabiru d'Afrique

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2009

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Bird, J., Butchart, S.

Justification:
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size may be small, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History:

2008	–	Least Concern
2004	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Countries:	Native: Angola; Benin; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Namibia; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; Senegal; Somalia; South Africa; Sudan; Swaziland; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe Vagrant: Mauritania
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Countries:

Native:

Angola; Benin; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Namibia; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; Senegal; Somalia; South Africa; Sudan; Swaziland; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Vagrant:

Mauritania

Range Map:

Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Behaviour There is no evidence that this species undertakes any regular long-distance migration², although it is not altogether sedentary¹ as some populations make local nomadic movements to optimum foraging habitats¹ during periods of drought or when large rivers are in flood². Breeding starts late in the rains or in the dry season¹, timed so that the young fledge at the height of the dry season when prey is concentrated and easier to obtain². The species nests in solitary pairs and usually remains solitary when not breeding^{1, 2}, although it may occur in small family parties or in groups of up to 12 individuals¹. Habitat It inhabits extensive fresh, brackish or alkaline wetlands^{1, 3, 4} in open, semi-arid areas² and savanna⁴, with relatively high abundances of fish³and with large trees nearby for nesting and roosting² (although it avoids deeply forested areas)^{1, 2}. Suitable habitats include shallow freshwater marshes^{1, 2}, wet grasslands¹, the margins of large or small rivers^{1, 2}, lake shores^{1, 2, 4}, pans⁴ and flood-plains^{2, 4}. Diet Its diet consists predominantly of fish 15-30 cm long² up to 500 g in weight, as well as crabs, shrimps, frogs, reptiles, small mammals, young birds, molluscs and insects¹ (e.g. large water beetles, termite alates)⁴. Breeding site The nest is a large flat platform of sticks¹ placed up to 20-30 m² in a tree near water isolated from other trees and sources of disturbance¹. It may also nest on cliffs^{1, 2} and in the abandoned nests of other bird species².
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour There is no evidence that this species undertakes any regular long-distance migration², although it is not altogether sedentary¹ as some populations make local nomadic movements to optimum foraging habitats¹ during periods of drought or when large rivers are in flood². Breeding starts late in the rains or in the dry season¹, timed so that the young fledge at the height of the dry season when prey is concentrated and easier to obtain². The species nests in solitary pairs and usually remains solitary when not breeding^{1, 2}, although it may occur in small family parties or in groups of up to 12 individuals¹. Habitat It inhabits extensive fresh, brackish or alkaline wetlands^{1, 3, 4} in open, semi-arid areas² and savanna⁴, with relatively high abundances of fish³and with large trees nearby for nesting and roosting² (although it avoids deeply forested areas)^{1, 2}. Suitable habitats include shallow freshwater marshes^{1, 2}, wet grasslands¹, the margins of large or small rivers^{1, 2}, lake shores^{1, 2, 4}, pans⁴ and flood-plains^{2, 4}. Diet Its diet consists predominantly of fish 15-30 cm long² up to 500 g in weight, as well as crabs, shrimps, frogs, reptiles, small mammals, young birds, molluscs and insects¹ (e.g. large water beetles, termite alates)⁴. Breeding site The nest is a large flat platform of sticks¹ placed up to 20-30 m² in a tree near water isolated from other trees and sources of disturbance¹. It may also nest on cliffs^{1, 2} and in the abandoned nests of other bird species².

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The species is vulnerable to disturbance and to wetland degradation (e.g. pesticide contamination) and conversion to agriculture¹.

Major Threat(s):

The species is vulnerable to disturbance and to wetland degradation (e.g. pesticide contamination) and conversion to agriculture¹.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 08 February 2012.
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