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Nipponia nippon
– Endangered
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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AVES
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Order:
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CICONIIFORMES
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Family:
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THRESKIORNITHIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Nipponia nippon
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Species Authority:
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(Temminck, 1835)
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Common Name/s:
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| English | — | CRESTED IBIS |
| French | — | IBIS BLANC DU JAPON, IBIS BLANC, IBIS NIPPON, IBIS À CRÊTE DU JAPON |
| Spanish | — | IBIS MOÑUDO JAPONÉS, IBIS NIPÓN |
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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EN D ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2006
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Assessor/s:
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BirdLife International
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Evaluator/s:
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Butchart, S. & Pilgrim, J. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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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.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Threatened (Collar and Andrew 1988) |
| 1994 | - | Critically Endangered (Collar, Crosby and Stattersfield 1994) |
| 2000 | - | Endangered (BirdLife International 2000) |
| 2004 | - | Endangered (BirdLife International 2004) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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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.
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Countries:
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Native:
China (Shaanxi)
Regionally extinct:
Japan; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Taiwan, Province of China
Possibly extinct regionally:
Russian Federation
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Population
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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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.
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System:
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Freshwater
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Threats
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Threats:
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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.
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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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.
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