email a friend
printable version
CR
Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius

IUCN Red List Criteria

Critically Endangered A3bcd+4bcd 
Endangered A2bc+3bcd+4bcd 
Vulnerable A2bc+3bcd+4bcd 

IUCN Red List history

Year Category
2012 Critically Endangered
2010 Critically Endangered
2009 Critically Endangered
2008 Critically Endangered
2006 Critically Endangered
2004 Critically Endangered
2000 Vulnerable
1996 Vulnerable
1994 Vulnerable
1988 Threatened

Species attributes

Migratory status full migrant Forest dependency Does not normally occur in forest
Land mass type continent
 Average mass -

Distribution

  Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) 2,020,000 medium
Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) 3,980,000 medium
Number of locations 11-100 -
Fragmentation -

Population & trend

  Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
No. of mature individuals 11200 medium Estimated 2006
Population trend Decreasing medium -
Number of subpopulations 1 - - -
Largest subpopulation - - -
Generation length (yrs) 9 - - -
Population justification: Surveys in 2006 in Kazakhstan estimated 376 breeding pairs in an area of 145,000 km2. Extrapolating this population density across the breeding range yields a possible total population size of 5,600 breeding pairs, i.e. 11,200 mature individuals, roughly equivalent to 16,000-17,000 individuals in total; but work is continuing in order to refine this estimate. This total is consistent with record counts of 3,200 individuals in Turkey in October 2007.
Trend justification: It has suffered a very rapid decline and range contraction. In northern Kazakhstan, a decline of 40% during 1930-1960, was followed by a further halving of numbers during 1960-1987. However, recent fieldwork in central Kazakhstan (centred on Korgalzhyn), suggests that the population trend is now stable and possibly starting to increase (e.g. the number of nests in a constant survey area around Korgalzhyn increased from 85 in 2005 to 107 in 2006 and 113 in 2007 (Sheldon et al. 2005, M. A. Koshkin, J. Kamp and R. D. Sheldon in litt. 2007); similarly numbers of nests in a constant area of 10,000 km2 around Pavlodar, north-east Kazakhstan were 67 in 1985, 55 in 1991, and 140 in 2007 (J. Kamp in litt. 2007). It is not known if this is a consistent trend across the species's range however, and a global decline of >50% is still precautionarily inferred for the past 27 years (three generations), with an even steeper decline projected for the next ten years owing to potentially severe threats. Further fieldwork may provide data that leads to revision of these estimates.

Country/Territory distribution

Country/Territory Occurrence status Extinct Breeding Non-breeding Passage
Afghanistan Native No     Yes
Armenia Native No     Yes
Austria Vagrant No     Yes
Azerbaijan Native No   Yes Yes
Bahrain Vagrant No     Yes
Belarus Vagrant No      
Belgium Vagrant No      
Bulgaria Vagrant No      
Cameroon Native possibly   Yes  
Central African Republic Native possibly   Yes  
Chad Native possibly   Yes  
China (mainland) Vagrant Yes      
Cyprus Vagrant No      
Czech Republic Vagrant No      
Denmark Vagrant No      
Egypt Vagrant No      
Eritrea Native possibly   Yes  
Ethiopia Native possibly   Yes  
Finland Vagrant No      
France Vagrant No      
Georgia Native No     Yes
Germany Vagrant No      
Greece Vagrant No      
Hungary Vagrant No      
India Native No   Yes  
Iran, Islamic Republic of Native No     Yes
Iraq Native No   Yes Yes
Ireland Vagrant No      
Israel Native No   Yes Yes
Italy Vagrant No      
Jordan Native No     Yes
Kazakhstan Native No Yes    
Kuwait Vagrant No   Yes Yes
Kyrgyzstan Native No     Yes
Lebanon Native No     Yes
Luxembourg Vagrant No      
Maldives Vagrant No      
Malta Vagrant No      
Mongolia Vagrant No      
Morocco Vagrant No      
Netherlands Vagrant No      
Nigeria Unknown possibly   Yes  
Oman Native No   Yes Yes
Pakistan Native No   Yes  
Palestinian Authority Territories Native No     Yes
Poland Vagrant No      
Portugal Vagrant No      
Qatar Native No     Yes
Romania Vagrant No      
Russia (Central Asian) Native No Yes    
Russia (European) Native No Yes   Yes
Saudi Arabia Native No     Yes
Seychelles Vagrant No      
Slovakia Vagrant No      
Slovenia Vagrant No      
Somalia Vagrant No      
Spain Vagrant No      
Sri Lanka Native No   Yes  
Sudan Native No   Yes  
Sweden Vagrant No      
Switzerland Vagrant No      
Syria Native No   Yes Yes
Tajikistan Native No     Yes
Turkey Native No     Yes
Turkmenistan Native No     Yes
Ukraine Vagrant Yes      
United Arab Emirates Native No   Yes Yes
United Kingdom Vagrant No      
Uzbekistan Native No     Yes
Yemen Vagrant No   Yes  

Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria

Country/Territory IBA Name IBA link
India Corbett Tiger Reserve site factsheet
India Dihaila Jheel and other wetlands site factsheet
India Flamingo city site factsheet
India Keoladeo National Park and Ajan Bande site factsheet
India Kurra Jheel site factsheet
India Naliya Grassland (Lala Bustard Wildlife Sanctuary) site factsheet
India Okhla Bird Sanctuary site factsheet
India Valmiki Tiger Reserve and Saraiyaman Lake site factsheet
Iran, Islamic Republic of Anzali Mordab complex site factsheet
Iraq Haur Al Suwayqiyah site factsheet
Iraq Samara dam site factsheet
Israel Hula valley site factsheet
Israel Jezre'el, Harod and Bet She'an valleys site factsheet
Israel Western Negev site factsheet
Israel Zevulun valley site factsheet
Jordan Mafraq - Irbid plain site factsheet
Kazakhstan Aktubek site factsheet
Kazakhstan Amangeldy site factsheet
Kazakhstan Korgalzhyn State Nature Reserve site factsheet
Kazakhstan Kumdykol-Zharlykol Lake System site factsheet
Kazakhstan Uyalyshalkar Lake System site factsheet
Kazakhstan Vicinity of Korgalzhyn village site factsheet
Kazakhstan Zhumay-Mayshukyr Lake System site factsheet
Pakistan Kirthar National Park (including Hub Dam) site factsheet
Russia (Central Asian) Birsuat site factsheet
Russia (Central Asian) Blagoveschenskaya (Kulunda lake and vicinity) site factsheet
Russia (Central Asian) Uzkaya Steppe site factsheet
Russia (Central Asian) Wetlands of Karasuk site factsheet
Russia (European) Bulukhta area site factsheet
Russia (European) Krasnoarmeiskiye waste lands site factsheet
Russia (European) Kulaksay lowland site factsheet
Russia (European) Lysyi Liman lake and valley of Vostochniy Manych river site factsheet
Russia (European) Mouth of Samur river site factsheet
Russia (European) Southern part of Chograiski reservoir site factsheet
Russia (European) Stepnovski saltmarshes site factsheet
Syria Buhayrat al-Assad site factsheet
Syria Golan Heights site factsheet
Syria Tual al-'Abba site factsheet
Turkey Bulanık and Malazgirt Plains site factsheet
Turkey Ceylanpınar site factsheet
Turkey Iğdır Plain site factsheet
Uzbekistan Dzheiran Ecocentre site factsheet

Habitats & altitude

Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial Arable Land suitable breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Arable Land suitable non-breeding
Desert Temperate major non-breeding
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Dry major non-breeding
Grassland Temperate major breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes suitable breeding
Altitude 0 - 300 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact

Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & Aquaculture Annual & perennial non-timber crops / Agro-industry farming Timing Scope Severity Impact
Past, Unlikely to Return Majority (50-90%) Rapid Declines Past Impact
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Agriculture & Aquaculture Livestock farming & ranching / Nomadic grazing Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Decline Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Agriculture & Aquaculture Livestock farming & ranching / Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Decline Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success
Biological resource use Gathering terrestrial plants / Unintentional effects (species is not the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Slow, Significant Decline Medium Impact:
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals / Intentional use (species is the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Rapid Declines Medium Impact:
Stresses
Species mortality
Pollution Agricultural & forestry effluents / Type Unknown/Unrecorded Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Climate change & severe weather Droughts Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Vanellus gregarius. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/05/2013. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/05/2013.

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.

Key facts
Current IUCN Red List category Critically Endangered
Family Charadriidae (Plovers)
Species name author (Pallas, 1771)
Population size 11200 mature individuals
Population trend Decreasing
Distribution size (breeding/resident) 2,020,000 km2
Country endemic? No
Links to further information
- Summary information on this species