IUCN Red List Criteria
| Near Threatened (criteria nearly met) |
A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
IUCN Red List history
| Year |
Category |
| 2012 |
Near Threatened |
| 2008 |
Near Threatened |
| 2006 |
Near Threatened |
| 2004 |
Near Threatened |
| 2000 |
Lower Risk/Near Threatened |
| 1994 |
Lower Risk/Near Threatened |
| 1988 |
Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type |
continent
shelf island
|
Average mass |
3180 g
|
Distribution
| |
Estimate |
Data quality |
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) |
1,930,000 |
medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) |
4,600,000 |
medium |
| Number of locations |
|
- |
| Fragmentation |
|
- |
Population & trend
| |
Estimate |
Data quality |
Derivation |
Year of estimate |
| No. of mature individuals |
10000-17000 |
medium |
Estimated |
1994 |
| Population trend |
Decreasing |
poor |
|
- |
| Number of subpopulations |
|
- |
- |
- |
| Largest subpopulation |
|
- |
- |
- |
| Generation length (yrs) |
8.4 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Population justification: Perennou et al. (1994) estimated populations of 15,000 individuals in south Asia, and fewer than 10,000 individuals in South-East Asia, thus there are estimated to be a total of 15,000-25,000 individuals in total, roughly equivalent to 10,000-17,000 mature individuals. |
|
Trend justification: There are no data on population trends; however, the species is suspected to be declining at a moderately rapid rate, owing to hunting, drainage and pollution. |
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory |
Occurrence status |
Extinct |
Breeding |
Non-breeding |
Passage |
| Bangladesh |
Native |
No |
|
Yes |
|
| Bhutan |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Cambodia |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
| China (mainland) |
Native |
possibly |
|
Yes |
|
| India |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
| Laos |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
| Malaysia |
Vagrant |
No |
|
Yes |
|
| Myanmar |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
| Nepal |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Pakistan |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
| Singapore |
Introduced |
No |
|
|
|
| Sri Lanka |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
| Thailand |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
| Vietnam |
Native |
No |
|
Yes |
|
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory |
IBA Name |
IBA link |
| Cambodia |
Boeung Chhmar / Moat Khla |
 |
| Cambodia |
Preah Net Preah / Kra Lanh / Pourk |
|
| Cambodia |
Prek Toal |
|
| India |
Harike Lake Bird Sanctuary |
|
| India |
Rangananthittu Bird Sanctuary |
|
| India |
Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary |
|
| Nepal |
Barandabhar forests and wetlands |
|
| Nepal |
Bardia National Park |
|
| Nepal |
Chitwan National Park |
|
| Nepal |
Farmlands in Lumbini area |
|
| Nepal |
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and Koshi Barrage |
|
| Nepal |
Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve |
|
| Thailand |
Inner Gulf of Thailand |
|
| Thailand |
Lower Central Plain |
|
| Vietnam |
U Minh Thuong |
|
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) |
Habitat (level 2) |
Importance |
Occurrence |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine |
Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land |
suitable |
resident |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal |
Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes |
suitable |
resident |
| Wetlands (inland) |
Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands |
suitable |
resident |
| Wetlands (inland) |
Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) |
suitable |
resident |
| Wetlands (inland) |
Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) |
suitable |
resident |
|
Altitude
|
0 - 0 m
|
Occasional altitudinal limits
|
|
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) |
Threat (level 2) |
Impact and Stresses |
| Human intrusions & disturbance |
Work & other activities |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Minority (<50%) |
Negligible declines |
Low Impact: 4 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Species disturbance |
|
| Natural system modifications |
Dams & water management/use / Abstraction of surface water (domestic use) |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Majority (50-90%) |
Slow, Significant Decline |
Medium Impact: |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion |
|
| Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases |
Problematic native species/diseases / Milky Stork (Mycteria cinerea) |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Future |
Minority (<50%) |
Negligible declines |
No/Negligible I |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Hybridisation, Species mortality |
|
| Pollution |
Agricultural & forestry effluents / Type Unknown/Unrecorded |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Majority (50-90%) |
Negligible declines |
Low Impact: 5 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion |
|
Utilisation
| Purpose |
Primary form used |
Life stage used |
Source |
Scale |
Level |
Timing |
| Pets |
Whole |
Adults and juveniles |
Wild |
Subsistence, National |
Non-trivial |
Recent |
| Food (human) |
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: Mycteria leucocephala. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
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.
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