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Grus leucogeranus
– Critically 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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GRUIFORMES
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Family:
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GRUIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Grus leucogeranus
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Species Authority:
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Pallas, 1773
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Common Name/s:
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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CR A3cde ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2007
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Assessor/s:
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BirdLife International
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Evaluator/s:
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Bird, J., Butchart, S. & Crosby, M. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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This long-lived crane qualifies as Critically Endangered owing to fears that its global population will decline extremely rapidly over the next three generations following the development of the Three Gorges Dam in China which threatens the wintering grounds used by the vast majority of individuals. If the impacts of this development prove to be less damaging than is feared, the species may warrant downlisting.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Threatened (Collar and Andrew 1988) |
| 1994 | - | Endangered (Collar, Crosby and Stattersfield 1994) |
| 2000 | - | Critically Endangered (BirdLife International 2000) |
| 2004 | - | Critically Endangered (BirdLife International 2004) |
| 2006 | - | Critically Endangered (BirdLife International 2006) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Grus leucogeranus breeds in arctic Russia in Yakutia and western Siberia. Three regional populations are recognised. The eastern population breeds between the rivers Kolyma and Yana and south to the Morma mountains. Non-breeding birds summer in Dauria, on the border between Russia, Mongolia5 and China. The main wintering sites are in the middle to lower reaches of the Yangtze river, especially Poyang Hu lake, China. The central population breeds on the basin of the Kunovat river, Russia and winters at Keoladeo National Park, India. This population is biologically extinct1. Passage birds are recorded in Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan4. The western population breeds in the Tyumen District, Russia, and winters in Fereydoon Kenar (c. 10 birds1) and Esbaran in Iran. Birds pass through Azerbaijan on passage3 and use the Volga river delta as a staging post1. The global population is about 3,200, 95% of which belong to the eastern population and winter at Poyang Hu.
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Countries:
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Native:
Afghanistan; Azerbaijan; China; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Kazakhstan; Korea, Republic of; Mongolia; Pakistan; Russian Federation; Turkmenistan
Vagrant:
Hong Kong; Japan; Uzbekistan
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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 and winters in wetlands, preferring wide expanses of shallow fresh water with good visibility, where it feeds primarily on the shoots, roots and tubers of aquatic plants.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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Threats
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Threats:
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The key threat is wetland loss and degradation at staging areas and wintering sites through agricultural development, the development of oilfields and increased human utilisation. Severe drought caused Poyang Lake to shrink dramatically in the winter of 2003-2004. Construction of the Three Gorges Dam will change the hydrological pattern of the lower Yangtze river and may have a major impact on the wintering population. Increasing levels of human disturbance are also a problem, particularly at Poyang Hu. Hunting on passage is the key threat to the central and western populations2, and inhibits recovery. Pesticide use and pollution is a threat in India.
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Conservation measures underway:
CITES Appendix I and II. CMS Appendix I and II. It is legally protected in all range states. Range states have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to help protect key wetland sites2. Efforts to manage water levels at migration staging posts are underway in China2. Key protected areas where it occurs include Kytalyk and Chaygurgino (Russia), Poyang Hu and Dong Dongting Hu (China), and Keoladeo Ghana (India). The North East Asian Crane Site Network has been established. Captive-raised birds are being released in an effort to maintain the central population2. Russian scientists plan to replicate the methodologies that have successfully helped to boost Whooping Crane populations in North America2.
Conservation measures proposed:
Identify breeding sites in the Kunovat basin and possibly other areas in north-west Russia. Enforce conservation measures to minimize threats from the Three Gorges Dam to wetlands in the lower Yangtze. Expand the Kytalyk and Chaygurgino Resources Reserves (Russia). Expand the area of Poyang Hu Nature Reserve or establish additional reserves to cover all important wintering areas and manage water-levels. Reduce hunting pressure on the central population.
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