The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Nipponia nippon

 – Endangered

Taxonomy

Kingdom: ANIMALIA
Phylum: CHORDATA
Class: AVES
Order: CICONIIFORMES
Family: THRESKIORNITHIDAE
Scientific Name: Nipponia nippon
Species Authority: (Temminck, 1835)
Common Name/s: CRESTED IBIS (Eng)
IBIS BLANC DU JAPON (Fre)
IBIS BLANC (Fre)
IBIS NIPPON (Fre)
IBIS À CRÊTE DU JAPON (Fre)
IBIS MOÑUDO JAPONÉS (Spa)
IBIS NIPÓN (Spa)

Assessment Information

Red List Category & Criteria: EN D    ver 3.1 (2001)
Year Assessed: 2006
Assessor/s: BirdLife International
Evaluator/s: Butchart, S. & Pilgrim, J. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
Justification: This species has become extinct over most of its former range and is now limited to a single area, where it has an extremely small population, qualifying it as Endangered. If its population continues to increase, it may well merit downlisting to Vulnerable.
History:
1988-Threatened (Collar and Andrew 1988)
1994-Critically Endangered (Collar, Crosby and Stattersfield 1994)
2000-Endangered (BirdLife International 2000)
2004-Endangered (BirdLife International 2004)

Geographic Range

Range Description: Nipponia nippon historically nested in the Russian Far East, Japan, and China, and was a non-breeding visitor to North Korea, South Korea and Taiwan (China), but is now extinct in almost all of its former range. The only known remaining population is in Shaanxi province in central mainland China, where it is a localised breeder. In 1981 only seven birds (four adults and three chicks) were known in the wild. By June 2002, the wild population was maintaining a steady increase and numbered 140 birds, and the captive population (in two breeding centres) was over 130 birds. The most recent population estimate is of 360 wild individuals1, but it is unclear whether this yet comprises 250 or more mature individuals.
Countries: Native:

China (Shaanxi)


Regionally extinct:

Japan; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Taiwan, Province of China


Possibly extinct regionally:

Russian Federation

Population

Population Trend: Up

Habitat and Ecology

Habitat and Ecology: It breeds in areas with a combination of tall trees for nesting and roosting and wetlands or agricultural land for feeding. In winter, the main feeding habitats are rice-fields, river banks and reservoirs, mainly close to human settlements, and it appears to tolerate human activities in these areas. Current breeding sites are from 470-1,300 m, but historical information indicates lowlands may be optimal. It feeds on crabs, frogs, small fish (particularly loach), river snails, other molluscs and beetles.
System: Freshwater
List of Habitats:
1.4Forest - Temperate
5.1Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls)
5.5Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha)
5.7Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)
14.1Artificial/Terrestrial - Arable Land

Threats

Threats: In its remaining range, the area of winter rice-fields has declined with conversion to dry wheat production, reducing the available area of feeding habitat. Most remaining rice-paddies are in mountain areas with poor irrigation facilities. Dissection has shown that 80% of birds found dead in the wild had very little food in their stomachs, and starvation (especially in winter) could be a significant cause of mortality. As the population increases and birds range more widely, controlling the use of agrochemicals at feeding-sites is likely to become more difficult. Birds are occasionally shot by hunters.
List of Threats:
1.1.1.3Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Crops - Agro-industry farming (past)
1.1.5Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Abandonment (ongoing)
1.3.3.1Habitat Loss/Degradation - Extraction - Wood - Small-scale subsistence (past)
3.1.1Harvesting (hunting/gathering) - Food - Subsistence use/local trade (ongoing)
6.2.1Pollution (affecting habitat and/or species) - Land pollution - Agriculture (ongoing)

Conservation Actions

Conservation Actions: Conservation measures underway:
CITES Appendix I. It is legally protected in China. Since the discovery of nesting birds in 1981, emergency regulations have been enacted to prohibit logging, the use of agrochemicals in rice-fields and the use of firearms for hunting. In 1987, 51 nest trees were declared state property and protected. At Yangxian, nest-sites are patrolled and guarded during the breeding season. Some rice-fields are maintained as feeding-sites in winter and loach are introduced to them.

Conservation measures proposed:
Support intensive ecological studies of wild birds using radio telemetry. Establish protected areas encompassing wetlands along the Han Shui river, where it has been observed feeding in recent years. Examine the feasibility of reintroduction to some of the former range.
List of Conservation Actions:
4.4.1Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Identification of new protected areas (needed)
5.1Species-based actions - Re-introductions (needed)

Bibliography

Bibliography:

Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Bird Reference Citations. The numbers inserted in the text accounts above (usually in bold) refer to references. For further details on these references, click on the BirdLife International link above to go to the specific species account on the BirdLife web site. In some cases, particularly in the taxonomic notes, the references are cited using the author names. Details for these can be found on the BirdLife International web site at the following two places: For References from A–L. For References from M–Z.

BirdLife International 2006. Threatened Birds of the World 2006. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 04/05/2006.

BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K.

BirdLife International. 2004 Threatened Birds of the World 2004. CD-ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.

Collar, N.J. and Andrew, P. 1988. Birds to Watch. The ICBP World Checklist of Threatened Birds. ICBP Technical Publication No. 8. Page Bros. (Norwich) Ltd, Norfolk, England.

Collar, N.J., Crosby, M.J. and Stattersfield, A.J. 1994. Birds to Watch 2. The World List of Threatened Birds BirdLife International. Page Bros (Norwich) Ltd, U.K.

IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. 1986. 1986 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Scott, P. (ed.) 1965. Section XIII. Preliminary List of Rare Mammals and Birds. In: The Launching of a New Ark, pp. 15–207. First Report of the President and Trustees of the World Wildlife Fund. An International Foundation for saving the world's wildlife and wild places 1961–1964. Collins, London.


Citation: BirdLife International 2006. Nipponia nippon. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 July 2008.
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