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closeIUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | nomadic | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | 1521 g |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 14,200,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | 7300-73000 | poor | Estimated | 2009 |
| Population trend | Stable | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 7.2 | - | - | - |
| Trend justification: The overall population trend is stable, although some populations have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | Native | No | |||
| Botswana | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Burkina Faso | Native | No | |||
| Burundi | Native | No | |||
| Cameroon | Native | No | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Native | No | |||
| Central African Republic | Native | No | |||
| Chad | Native | No | |||
| Congo | Native | No | |||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | Native | No | |||
| Djibouti | Native | No | |||
| Eritrea | Native | No | |||
| Ethiopia | Native | No | |||
| Gabon | Native | No | |||
| Gambia | Native | No | |||
| Ghana | Vagrant | No | |||
| Guinea | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Guinea-Bissau | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Kenya | Native | No | |||
| Lesotho | Native | No | |||
| Liberia | Native | No | |||
| Madagascar | Native | No | |||
| Malawi | Native | No | |||
| Mali | Native | No | |||
| Mauritania | Native | No | |||
| Mozambique | Native | No | |||
| Namibia | Native | No | |||
| Niger | Native | No | |||
| Nigeria | Native | No | |||
| Oman | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Rwanda | Native | No | |||
| Senegal | Native | No | |||
| Sierra Leone | Native | No | |||
| Somalia | Native | No | |||
| South Africa | Native | No | Yes | ||
| South Sudan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Sudan | Native | No | |||
| Swaziland | Native | No | |||
| Tanzania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Uganda | Native | No | |||
| Yemen | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Zambia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Zimbabwe | Native | No |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Botswana | Lake Ngami |  |
| Botswana | Linyanti swamp/Chobe river | |
| Botswana | Makgadikgadi Pans | |
| Botswana | Okavango Delta | |
| Chad | Lake Fitri | |
| Guinea | Iles Tristao | |
| Guinea-Bissau | Arquipélago dos Bijagós | |
| Kenya | Lake Elmenteita | |
| Kenya | Lake Naivasha | |
| Kenya | Lake Nakuru National Park | |
| Kenya | Tana River Delta | |
| Madagascar | Manambolomaty wetland complex and Tsimembo Classified Forest | |
| Malawi | Lake Chilwa and flood-plain | |
| Mali | Lac Débo - Lac Oualado Débo | |
| Mali | Lac Fati | |
| Mauritania | Diawling National Park | |
| Senegal | Lac de Guiers | |
| Sierra Leone | Yawri Bay | |
| South Africa | Lake St Lucia and Mkuze swamps | |
| South Africa | Lower Berg river wetlands | |
| South Africa | Nyl river flood-plain | |
| South Africa | Richards Bay Game Reserve | |
| South Africa | Sandveld and Bloemhof Dam Nature Reserves | |
| South Africa | Spitskop Dam | |
| Tanzania | Lake Eyasi | |
| Tanzania | Mtera reservoir | |
| Tanzania | Wembere steppe | |
| Zambia | Bangweulu Swamps | |
| Zambia | Kafue Flats | |
| Zambia | Kafue National Park | |
| Zambia | Liuwa Plain National Park | |
| Zambia | South Luangwa National Park | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Ponds (below 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Salt Exploitation Sites | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Wastewater Treatment Areas | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Water Storage Areas (over 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Freshwater Lakes | suitable | resident |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use / Abstraction of ground water (unknown use) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
| |||||||||
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Platalea alba. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 18/06/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 18/06/2013.
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 | Least Concern |
| Family | Threskiornithidae (Ibises and spoonbills) |
| Species name author | Scopoli, 1786 |
| Population size | 7300-73000 mature individuals |
| Population trend | Stable |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 14,200,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
|
- Summary information on this species - Climate change species distributions | |
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