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 is very large, and hence does not 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.

Family/Sub-family Ciconiidae

Species name author Temminck, 1823

Taxonomic source(s) Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

300,000 - 500,000

unset

13,700,000 km²

No

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

Ecology: Behaviour This species is an intra-African trans-equatorial migrant¹ making movements that are triggered by the rains². It breeds during in the rains when snails (its main prey items) are most readily available and nests in colonies of various sizes¹ often with other species². Nesting may only occur in years when local food supplies are plentiful however, so may not occur regularly at the same site². The species feeds in loose groups^{2, 3} that may contain up to 50 well-dispersed individuals (flocks of over 7,000 may also occur in some seasons)². It migrates in flocks¹ and roosts communally in trees³. Habitat The species inhabits freshwater wetlands¹ with shallow waters and a large abundance of aquatic molluscs² including marshes, swamps, rice-fields, flood-plains, the backwaters and margins of lakes or rivers¹, ponds and streams². It may also frequent moist savanna or burnt grassland as well as occasionally forest clearings¹, coastal mudflats and mangrove swamps². Diet In many regions the species may depend entirely upon molluscs² such as aquatic snails (e.g. Pila spp. or Lanistes ovum)¹ and freshwater mussels (Ampullaria spp.)¹. Other prey items taken include frogs, crabs, worms, fish and insects¹ (e.g. locusts and beetles)². Breeding site The nest is a small platform of sticks and vegetation¹ positioned in trees and bushes over water^{1, 2} (e.g. inundated in standing water on flood-plains)³, or alternatively in reedbeds¹. It nests colonially, often in mixed-species groups².

Threats The species is threatened by habitat loss, entanglement in fishing lines and environmental pollution (e.g. pesticides applied to water for mosquito control)⁴. It also suffers from hunting, poaching and the destruction of breeding colonies by villagers on Madagascar^{1, 2}. Utilisation The species is hunted and traded at traditional medicine markets in Nigeria⁵.

References 1. del Hoyo et al. (1992). 2. Hancock et al. (1992). 3. Brown et al. (1982). 4. Hockey et al. (2005). 5. Nikolaus (2001).

Text account compilers Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Jonathan Ekstrom (BirdLife International), Lucy Malpas (BirdLife International)

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

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Anastomus lamelligerus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

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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