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Specialist Group on Storks~ Ibises and Spoonbills Newsletter

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Specialist Group on Storks~ Ibises and Spoonbills Newsletter INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR BIRD PRESERVATION/ INTERNATIONAL WATERFOWL AND WETLANDS RESEARCH BUREAU SPECIALIST GROUP ON STORKS~ IBISES AND SPOONBILLS NEWSLETTER Volume 2, Number 1/2 December, 1989 INTRODUCTION must continuously update our understanding of the status of storks, ibises and spoonbills throughout the world. Many of the species are In the spring of 1989, we (Koen Brouwer endangered, and we must act to save these and Malcolm Coulter) were elected as eo­ birds. While some situations are urgent and chairmen of the ICBPIIWRB Specialist Group on require immediate action, we must also consider Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills to continue the the longer term. For species that we know are .work of Charlie Luthin ..We look forward to the under pressure, we need to develop long challenges and to working with you. The group, ranging Action Plans which will allow greater of course, is the responsibility of all of us. lt will planning with good chances of success. We must take everyone to meet the large conservation begin to think about these longer-range plans. challenges ahead. Each person has his own responsibilities, but by working together we will Many storks, ibises and spoonbills are be much stronger than any of us individually. wetland species, others live in drier habitats. Their conservation problems are often related Dr. Wennrich intiated the group. He set up to loss or destruction of habitat which threatens a library and began building the network. He other birds of these same areas. In our efforts to established a strong base for Charlie Luthin who preserve storks, ibises and spoonbills, it will be succeeded him. Charlie, whom most of us have important to work with others who are trying to dealt with for many years continued to organize preserve the same habitats. the group from the Brehm Fund for International Bird Conservation at the The newsletter will become an important Vogelpark, Walsrode, beginning in 1982. He set way of communicating within the SIS Group. up a correspondence network that has been the The first two issues were produced annually. backbone of the organization and established Beginning in 1990, we will produce two issues a initiatives, primarily in Asia and Latin America. year. The newsletter belongs to all members of He was tireless in providing encouragement and the group and will be an important way for advice to most of us working with these birds. everyone to communicate. We hope that you However, he felt that he had made his use it as a way of communication and will send contributions to the group and wished to us information on status of these birds in your concentrate his efforts on other conservation area as well as other information, such as issues in Latin America. He resigned in 1989. We upcoming meetings, publications of interest, will miss his leadership, but look forward to his etc. We look forward to your contributions to continuing help and encouragement. the ne'll(sletter. Within the group, we (Malcolm and Koen) Malcolm Coulter Koen Brouwer view our roles as those of facilitation, and Savannah River National Foundation providing whatever support is possible. We Ecology Laboratory for Research in look forward to working with each and every Drawer E Zoologicaf Gardens one of you. Aiken, SC 29801 P.O. Box 20164 lt will be important to continue the USA 1000 HD Amsterdam communication that Charlie established. We The Netherlands 1 CALL FOR INFORMATION ON forthcoming paper on this subject. If you have STORKS, IBISES, AND SPOONBILLS any records available, please send these to: Drs. OF THE WORLD Koen Brouwer, National foundation for Research in Zoological Gardens, do Amsterdam Jim Kushlan, James Hancock, and Phil Kahl Zoo, P.O. Box 20164, 1000 HD Amsterdam, The are preparing a monograph on the storks, ibises, Netherlands. and spoonbills of the world. Their deadline for completion of the manuscript is July 1990. Anyone with unpublished information on any species, or wishing to read and comment on drafts of individual species accounts is asked to CAUSES OF DEATH IN EUROPEAN com,municate with any one of the three authors. WHITE STORKS, CICONIA CICONIA, Their addresses are as follows: IN THE NETHERLANDS Dr. James A. Kushlan Dept. of Biology Between 1975 and 1988, the Dutch Central Univ. of Mississippi Veterinary Institute (Lelystad) investigated University, MS 38677 causes of death of 13 wild storks and 33 U.S.A. "projectH storks that were part of the Dutch Dr. M. Phi lip Kahl reintroduction program (Table 1). Stomach P.O. Box 2263 obstructions, the number one source of mor­ Sedona, AZ 86336 tality, were in the form of indigestible balls of U.S.A. material presumably too large to be regurgi- - tated normally. • The balls found in stomachs of Mr. James A. Hancock wild birds included pieces of grass, and in one Brookside, Back Street case rubber. Balls of "project" birds consisted of St. Cross, downy feathers, pieces of glass, plastic, elastic Winchester, Hants. S023 9SB and even a tennis ball. Long, thin, snake-like UNITED KINGDOM materials were particularly prevalent. Digestive problems may also have been responsible for the observed heart and liver problems; intake of CALL FOR INFORMATION ON down has been found sometimes to cause BLACK-FACED SPOONBILLS chronic intestinal infections in owls, and it is possible that other organs could be similarly Peter Kennerley is interested in recieving affected. Perforations of the eosophagus, records of sightings of Black-faced Spoonbills, resulting in the death of four storks, were made Platalea minor, for a paper he is prepai ng on by mole claws. The paucity of past post-mortem their status and distribution. Any information reports makes it impossible to determine you have will be appreciated. Please send it to: whether this problem is more important now Peter Kennerley, Flat 2c Crane Court, 45 Sassoon than in earlier years. lt may be that the storks Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. are eating more moles than in previous years. If this is so, it may be due to a decline in the availability of other food types, or due to an LONGEVITY AND CAUSES OF DEATH increase in the populations of moles, possibly as IN CAPTIVE AND WILD STORKS, IBISES a result of declining water levels. AND SPOONBILLS The Stork, Ibis and Spoonbill Specialist Source: Vogels, (Tijdschrift voor Vogel­ Group (SIS) is collecting data on the causes of bescherming) 48 (Nov/Dec, 1988) death and longevity in storks, ibises and spoonbills, both in the wild and in captivity for a 2 Table 1. Causes of death of European White behavior which does not primarily serve for Storks in The Netherlands. excretion of uric acid. Number of Birds "Ringing is a significant cause of death for the White Stork in its African winter quarters: uric Cause of Death Wild Project1 acid, excreted for thermoregulation, fills the gap between ring and leg, which may result in Stomach obstructions 5 7 serious injury. Fifty percent of all storks which Accidents 5 3 were observed carrying a ring had injuries Heart problems 6 caused by this process. This was the case with Eosophagael perforations 2 2 birds ringed above as well as ringed below the Bacterial infections 4 intertarsal joint. Liver problems 3 "From field observation, the percentage of Swine fever (erysipeloid) 3 ringed storks dying annually due to the factors Stomach perforations 1 described above is estimated to be at least 5%." Unidentified 4 This paper suggests that extreme caution should be used in ringing White Storks, if not TOTAL 13 33 most species. Some researchers have that if birds are ringed, they be ringed below the intertarsal joint. Fewer White Storks are ringed below the 1: Part ofthe Dutch reintroduction program joint, and there is less evidence that this causes as much of a problem as ringing above the joint. Alternatively, H. Haffner (address: Station Biol6gique de la tour du Valat, Le Sambuc LEG-DEFECATION BY WHITE STORKS: 13200, Aries, France) has developed a method of ANALYSIS OF A THERMOREGULATORY using patagial markers for wading birds. These BEHAVIOR AND ITS IMPORTANCE are lightweight, durable, easily recognizable, FOR LOSSES OF RINGED STORKS IN and allow birds to be marked individually. This THE AFRICAN WINTERING AREAS would seem to offer a safe alternative to using rings. Many storks defecate on their legs during extremely hot weather as a way of cooling. We encourage researchers with information Most researchers ring storks above the inter­ on effects of marking birds and alternative ways tarsal joint. V. Schulz studied the defecation of marking birds to write to us so that we can behavior and the effect on survival of ringed make this information available to others. White Storks (Ciconia ciconia): Schulz, V.H. 1987. Thermoregulatorisches Beinkoten des Weissstorchs (Ciconia ciconia). Analyse des BLACKNECKED AND GREATER Verhaltens und seiner Bedeutung fur Verluste ADJUTANT STORKS IN INDIA bei beringten Storchen im africanischen Winterquartier. Die Vogelwarte 34:107-117. Among nine species of storks that inhabit The results have important implications for the Indian subcontinent, six breed in the area. ringing. We include here a combination of the While no species is endemic, the majority of the English summary of his article and a translation world's populations of Painted Storks (Mycteria by K. Brouwer of the German summary of the leucocephala), and Asian Openbill Storks article: (Anastomus oscitans) are found in this region. Two other species are of grave concern because "Defecation on legs is a behavior which has their populations have declined dramatically in been documented in many species of stork, e.g. recent years. These are the Blacknecked Stork African Marabou Storks (Leptoptilos crumen­ (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) and the Greater iferus), American Wood Stork (Mycteria Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos dubius).
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