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 Lichtenstein, 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 - 600,000

unset

6,490,000 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 migrant^{1, 2}, making seasonal movements to coincide with rainfall^{1, 2, 3}. After breeding in the wet season of the northern tropics (between May and August), it moves east then south (West African populations), or south (East African populations), through the equatorial rain-belt (September-October), and arrives in the southern tropics early in the southern wet season (November-March)². It remains in this southern range until March (when the rains decrease), after which it moves north again through East Africa at the beginning of the long rains (March-April), arriving back in the breeding grounds in April and May before (or just as) the heavy rains begin². The species is gregarious and is rarely seen in groups of less than 10², often traveling in vast flocks of c.10,000¹. On migration it lands daily to feed¹, both migrating and foraging diurnally². It breeds in widely-scattered colonies, normally not exceeding 20 pairs² (although groups of between 30 and 50 are recorded occasionally)^{5, 7}. Habitat The species frequents open grassland, pastures, areas of cultivation^{1, 2} and savanna woodland³, often near water but also in semi-arid areas, gathering beside pools, water-holes, wells and swamps when not feeding², and roosting on trees or cliffs^{1, 2}. Diet The species is primarily insectivorous⁵, its diet consisting almost entirely of large grassland insects such as swarming locusts, army worm Spodoptera exempta caterpillars, grasshoppers and crickets, although it will also take mice^{1, 2, 5}, frogs, lizards, small fish, molluscs, crabs^{2, 5}, millipedes, scorpions, water rats and small birds^{3, 5}. Breeding site The species breeds colonially, with nests being built from sticks and vegetation in trees or on cliffs, or on the roofs of huts in villages, and will often be used from year to year unless they collapse (although not necessarily by the same breeding pair)².

Threats The species is potentially threatened by habitat degradation through urban development and agricultural activities (such as maize farming) which have reduced the available area of natural grassland⁴. In Namibia it is threatened by habitat degradation through overgrazing and bush encroachment⁴. The species may also be threatened by the control of its principle food source, locusts, either through direct poisoning^{4, 5} (a mass mortality event in Sudan may have been the result of extensive use of pesticides)⁶, or through a reduction in the availability of food^{4, 5}. Utilisation The species is hunted and traded at traditional medicine markets in Nigeria⁸.

References 1. del Hoyo et al. (1992). 2. Brown et al. (1982). 3. Hockey et al. (2005). 4. Harrison et al. (1997). 5. Hancock et al. (1992). 6. Coulter et al. (1989). 7. Adjakpa (2000). 8. 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: Ciconia abdimii. 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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