| 2009 IUCN Red List Category (as evaluated by BirdLife International - the official Red List Authority for birds for IUCN): Least Concern 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). The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds 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 Anatidae Species name author (Pallas, 1764) Taxonomic source(s) AERC TAC (2003), Cramp and Simmons (1977-1994), Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993) |
Population estimate | Population trend | Range estimate (breeding/resident) | Country endemic? | 170,000 - 220,000 | unset | 18,400,000 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 Asian populations are largely migratory, moving south on a broad front to winter at lower latitudes and altitudes in India and south-east Asia1, 13. Other populations are chiefly sedentary or dispersive, undertaking local movements linked to the availability of suitable water (moving away from drought-affected areas or to temporary wetlands)1, 13. The species is usually found dispersed in pairs during the breeding season, although it may form small nesting groups when desirable nesting sites are close together6. It may congregate into larger flocks (e.g. 4,000 birds at a site in Nepal, > 10,000 at a site in Turkey) during the autumn and winter, but is more characteristically found in scattered small flocks along rivers6, 8. Adults undergo a complete moult after breeding that leaves them flightless for around four weeks mid-July to September4, 8, throughout which they require large open areas of water on or near their breeding grounds13. The species is mainly nocturnal3. Habitat Breeding This species frequents the shores of inland freshwater, saline and brackish lakes and rivers in open country, particularly those in open steppe, upland plateau and mountainous regions (reaching up to 5,000 m in Himalayas)1, 2, 3, 4, 5. However, it is less dependent upon large water bodies for resting and feeding than most other Anatidae, and often occurs a considerable distance from water during the breeding season13. Non-breeding In the non-breeding season this species prefers streams, slow-flowing rivers, freshwater pools, flooded grasslands, marshes and brackish or saline lakes in lowland regions, and is also found on artificial reservoirs1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in the vicinity of agricultural lands (Uzbekistan)11. It avoids coastal waters and tall, dense vegetation or emergent and floating aquatic plants6. Diet The species is omnivorous, it's diet consisting of tender green shoots and the seeds of terrestrial vegetation, agricultural grains such as millet and wheat, littoral crustaceans such as shrimps, aquatic and terrestrial insects (especially Locusts), aquatic molluscs, small fish, frogs, amphibian spawn and worms1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Breeding site Nests are shallow depressions, frequently located far from the water in burrows or holes in sand or clay banks (these can either be natural or excavated by another animal)6. Other nest sites include abandoned buildings and farm sheds, hollow trees up to 10 m high, crevices in rocks and cliffs and occasionally nest-boxes6. Management information The population in the "Ascania Nova" nature reserve, southern Ukraine, has been restored successfully as a result of artificial nest creation, regular feeding, breaking the ice on ponds to provide constant access to water, and raising broods using conspecific, Cairina moschata and Anas platyrhynchos foster parents14.
| Threats Hunting is a threat, especially in south-east Europe1,3, 8, 10 (e.g. in Turkey) 13, although the species is largely protected in central and eastern Asia by its sacred status8. Other threats to western populations include the loss and degradation of inland wetlands through subterranean water extraction for irrigation10 (leading to decreasing water supplies for seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands)13, widespread drainage of shallow marshes and lakes13, salt extraction1, 7, 10, urban development, pollution, introduction of exotic fish and overgrazing1, 7, 10. At the Klingnau Dam in northern Switzerland the species has been known to hybridise with the South African Shelduck Tadorna cana from escaped captive populations, which could pose a threat to the integrity of both species9. The species is also susceptible to avian influenza (strain H5N1) and is therefore threatened by outbreaks of the virus12. Utilisation This species is hunted for commercial and recreational purposes in Gilan Province, northern Iran15.
| References 1. del Hoyo et al.(1992). 2. Brown et al. (1982). 3. Johnsgard, (1978). 4. Cramp and Simmons (1977). 5. Quan et al. (2001). 6. Madge and Burn (1988). 7. Green et al. (2002). 8. Kear, (2005a). 9. Owen et al. (2006). 10. Popovkina (2006), 11. Kreuzberg-Mukhina (2006). 12. Melville and Shortridge (2006). 13. Scott and Rose (1996). 14. Zubko et al. (2001). 15. Balmaki and Barati (2006).
| 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: Tadorna ferruginea. 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. To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums |
|
