Justification This charismatic species is classified as Critically Endangered because recent surveys indicate that its population is undergoing an extremely rapid population reduction. This is because of a number of factors, including habitat loss in its breeding, passage and wintering grounds, which is compounded by disturbance, hunting and the effects of climate change. Productivity has declined and adult and juvenile return rates are very low, leading to fears that the population is aging rapidly; action is now urgently required to prevent the extinction of this species.

Family/Sub-family Scolopacidae

Species name author (Linnaeus, 1758)

Taxonomic source(s) AOU checklist (1998 + supplements), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification 14-16 cm. Small stint with spatulate bill. Breeding adult has red-brown head, neck and breast with dark brown streaks. Blackish upperparts with buff and pale rufous fringing. Non-breeding adult lacks reddish coloration, but has pale brownish-grey upperparts with whitish fringing to wing-coverts. White underparts. Similar spp. Red-necked Stint C. ruficollis and Little Stint C. minuta lack spatulate bill. Non-breeders of both species have less white on forehead, appear smaller-headed and have narrower supercilia. Breeding C. ruficollis has less uniformly fringed rufous/brick-red fringes to scapulars. Voice Quiet, rolling preep and shrill wheet, usually in flight.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

450 - 1,000

decreasing

351,000 km²

No

Range & population Eurynorhynchus pygmeus has a naturally limited breeding range on the Chukotsk peninsula and southwards up to the isthmus of the Kamchatka peninsula, in north-eastern Russia. It migrates down the western Pacific coast through Russia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong (China) and Taiwan (China), to its main wintering grounds in Bangladesh and Myanmar. Wintering birds have also been recorded from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. It occurs regularly at only a few sites within this wintering range, and Myanmar is perhaps the most important country (over 80 recorded in 2007-2008 and 63 in January 2009^6,8). Due to its specialised breeding habitat requirements it was probably always a scarce species, but numbers have dropped in recent years and surveys on the breeding grounds have revealed a dramatic decline from 2,000-2,800 pairs in the 1970s to fewer than 1,000 pairs in 2000, 402-572 pairs in 2003, 350-380 pairs in 2005⁴ and not more than 150-320 pairs in 2008⁹. These declines have taken place across all known breeding colonies, and it is unlikely that significant colonies remain undiscovered^3,4. Breeding success is very low: average productivity was 0.66 young fledged per nest in 2005, and much lower in 2007, and this is compounded by a very low rate of juveniles and adults returning to the breeding grounds. The species now has an ageing and rapidly declining population with little recruitment.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: It has a very specialised breeding habitat, using only lagoon spits with crowberry-lichen vegetation or dwarf birch and willow sedges, together with adjacent estuary or mudflat habitats that are used as feeding sites by adults during nesting. The species has never been recorded breeding further than 5 km (and exceptionally once, 7 km) from the sea shore. Breeding birds are very site faithful. Wintering habitat consists of tidal mudflats, and locally saltpans.

Threats Throughout its migratory and wintering ranges, tidal flats are being reclaimed for industry, infrastructure and aquaculture and are becoming increasingly polluted. The important staging area at Saemangeum and Geum estuary, South Korea, including the Mangyeung and Tongjin estuaries, has already been reclaimed, and remaining wetlands are under serious threat of reclamation in the near future⁴. Although not specifically targeted, it is regularly caught in nets set to catch other waders for food in the key wintering areas of Bangladesh and Myanmar^6,8. There are no immediate threats to the breeding grounds, but nests are sometimes destroyed by dogs⁵. Human disturbance, both by residents and researchers, may cause increased levels of nest desertion and predation by foxes and skuas⁴. Shorebirds, including this species, are also occasionally killed by children with slingshots⁴; one male was also shot by a Russian hunter near the Chinese border in 2008⁷. Small but significant numbers of birds and their eggs have been collected for scientific purposes in the last 20 years, with one small colony completely wiped out due to this activity⁴. Climate change and associated habitat shifts are expected to impact negatively on this species and others dependent on tundra habitat for breeding. Modelling indicates that 57% of the breeding habitat for this species could be lost by 2070².

Conservation measures underway CMS Appendix II. Protected areas in its breeding, staging and wintering areas include Moroshechnaya and several local wildlife refuges on the Chukotsk peninsula (Russia), Yancheng and Chongming Dongtan (China), Mai Po (Hong Kong), Lanyang estuary (Taiwan), Point Calimere and Chilka lake (India), and Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve (Vietnam). Annual surveys are undertaken of breeding sites on Chukotka and over 450 adults and young have been ringed on the breeding grounds since 2000¹⁰. Local support groups have been established in some breeding areas and negotiations have taken place to reduce short-term hunting pressure at one of the key wintering sites in Myanmar⁸. A Species Action Plan was produced in 2008¹⁰

Conservation measures proposed Continue to monitor numbers at known breeding sites and carry out searches of suitable habitat in North Kamchatka. Actively prevent collection of eggs and birds for scientific purposes. Take measures to ensure that researcher activity does not increase mortality. Ensure effective legal protection of all known breeding sites. Survey existing and potential wintering sites in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Stop hunting and trapping at key sites. Ensure protection of newly discovered sites and existing sites, especially in South Korea. Restore reclaimed wetland sites. Campaign to stop shorebird hunting in Asian countries. Legally protect it in all range states.

References BirdLife International (2001). 1. Tomkovich et al. (2002).2. Zöckler and Lysenko (2000). 3. Zöckler (2005). 4. Zöckler & Bunting (2006). 5. E. Syroechkovskiy in litt. (2007). 6. C. Zöckler in litt. (2007). 7. Zöckler & Syroechkovskiy (2008). 8. Zöckler & Thin Hla (2009). 9. Zöckler & Syroechkovskiy in prep. 10. Zöckler et al.(2008).

Further web sources of information

Fully detailed species accounts from the Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2001), together with new information collated since the publication of the Red Data Book

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Simba Chan (Wild Bird Society of Japan), Mike Crosby (BirdLife International), James Gilroy (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International), Nic Peet (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Contributors Simba Chan (Wild Bird Society of Japan), Zuo Wei David Li (Wetlands International), Nial Moores (UPO Wetlands Centre), David Stroud, Evgeny Syroechkovskiy, Pavel Tomkovich, Christoph Zöckler (UNEP - WCMC)

IUCN Red List evaluators Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Eurynorhynchus pygmeus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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