Neottia nidus-avis LC Taxonomic Authority: (L.) Rich.  Global Assessment  Regional Assessment Region: Global  Endemic to region Synonyms Common names Ophrys nidus-avis L. BIRD'S-NEST ORCHID English Epipactis nidus-avis (L.) Crantz NIDO D'UCCELLO Italian

Upper Level Kingdom: PLANTAE Phylum: TRACHEOPHYTA Class: LILIOPSIDA Order: ORCHIDALES Family: Lower Level Taxonomy Rank: Infra- rank name:  Hybrid Subpopulation: Authority:

General Information Distribution Neottia nidus-avis is distributed in to Caucasus and north west Africa.

Found in Ireland, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, France, Balaeric Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czechloslavakia, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, Western Russia, Central Russia, Western , Algeria, Turkey and Iran.

Range Size Elevation Biogeographic Realm Area of Occupancy: Upper limit: 2000  Afrotropical Extent of Occurrence: Lower limit: 100  Antarctic Map Status: Depth  Australasian Upper limit:  Neotropical Lower limit:  Oceanian Depth Zones  Palearctic  Shallow photic  Bathyl  Hadal  Indomalayan  Photic  Abyssal  Nearctic

Population The species is widespread in Europe and common in many deciduous forests.

Total Population Size Minimum Population Size: Maximum Population Size:

Habitat and Ecology

N. nidus-avis is a holomycotrophic (plant without ) rhizome geophyte which grows in woodlands on basic soil: under shade in deep leaf litter in beech, hazel and pine forests.

The bird's nest orchid is a terrestrial leafless species that is a myco-heterotrophic (species which have completely lost their ability to photosynthesize) plant for all of its life cycle. N. nidus-avis is a heterotrophic species because its immediate source of reduced carbon is provided by associated fungi (Gardes, 2002), Neottia lives in symbiosis with the fungus Rhizoctonia. The fungus/orchid combination is effectively a perennial saprophyte feeding on decomposing leaf litter, or perhaps the mycorrhiza may be shared with nearby tree species.

The do not appear every year. System Movement pattern Crop Wild Relative  Terrestrial  Freshwater  Marine  Congregatory  Migratory  Is the species a wild relative of a crop?

Growth From Definition Geophyte Plants with underground bulbs, corms, rhizome, tubers (not lignotubers), also termed Cryptophytes

Threats There are no known threats for the species.

Past Present Future 1 Habitat Loss/Degradation (human induced)    12 Unknown    Conservation Measures There are no known conservation measures specifically for N. nidus-avis, but the species is known to occur in many protected areas.

In Place Needed 3 Research actions   3.2 Population numbers and range   3.5 Threats   4 Habitat and site-based actions   4.4 Protected areas   4.4.3 Management   4.4.4 Expansion  

Countries of Occurrence Native Native - Presence Presence Possibly Re- Possibly Possibly Possibly Extinct Extinct introduced Reintroduced Introduced Introduced Vagrant Vagrant Confirmed Possible Albania           Algeria           Austria           Belarus           Belgium           Bulgaria           Czech Republic           Denmark           Finland           France           Germany           Greece           Hungary           Ireland           Italy           Netherlands           Norway           Poland           Portugal           Romania           Russian Federation           Sweden           Switzerland           Turkey           Ukraine           United Kingdom          

General Habitats Score Description 1 Forest 1 Suitable 1.6 Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland 1 Suitable 1.9 Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane 1 Suitable

Ecosystem Services  Insufficient Information available  Species provides no ecosystem services Score according to relative importance where 1 = very important, 2 = important, 3 = some importance, 4 = not important/relevant and 5 = not known. Ecosystem service Score (from 1 to 5) Geographic range over which benefits are felt? Water Quality 5 Unknown Water Supplies 5 Unknown Flood Control 5 Unknown Climate Regulation 5 Unknown Landscape 5 Unknown Air Quality 5 Unknown Nutrient Cycling 3 Unknown Habitat Maintenance 5 Unknown Provision of Critical Habitat 5 Unknown Pollination 5 Unknown Erosion Control 5 Unknown Biocontrol 5 Unknown Shoreline Protection 5 Unknown Other (specify) Define Other: Other (specify) Define Other:

Species Utilisation  Species is not utilised at all

Purpose / Type of Use Subsistence National International 17. Unknown   

Trend in the level of wild offtake/harvest in relation to total wild population numbers over the last five years: Trend in the amount of offtake/harvest produced through domestication/cultivation over the last five years: CITES status: Appendix II IUCN Red Listing Red List Assessment:(using 2001 IUCN system) Least Concern (LC)

Red List Criteria: Date Last Seen (only for EX, EW or Possibly EX species): Is the species Possibly Extinct?  Possibly Extinct Candidate?  Rationale for the Red List Assessment The species has a wide distribution range across Eurasia and north Africa, the population is believed to be stable and no serious threats are known at present. N. nidus-avisis currently assessed as Least Concern. The species needs to be monitored over a longer period of time to make sure that it doesn't fall into a threatened category. Reason(s) for Change in Red List Category from the Previous Assessment:  Genuine Change  Nongenuine Change  No Change  Genuine (recent)  New information  Taxonomy  Same category  Genuine (since first assessment)  Knowledge of Criteria  Criteria Revisio and criteria  Incorrect data used  Other  Same category but previously change in criteria Current Population Trend: Stable Date of Assessment: 26/03/2009 Name(s) of the Assessor(s): Sara Contu Evaluator(s): Notes:

Criterion A Criterion B Criterion C Criterion D A1a  A1b  A1c  A1d  B1a  C1  D  A2a  A2b  A2c  A2d  B1b(i)  B1b(ii)  B1b(iii)  B1b(iv)  B1b(v)  C2a(i)  C2a(i)  D1  A3b  A3c  A3d  B1c(i)  B1c(ii)  B1c(iii)  B1c(iv)  C2b  D2  A4a  A4b  A4c  A4d  B2a  B2b(i)  B2b(ii)  B2b(iii)  B2b(iv)  B2b(v)  Criterion E B2c(i)  B2c(ii)  B2c(iii)  B2c(iv)  E 

Generation Length: % population decline in the past: Time period over which the past decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): % population decline in the future: Time period over which the future decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): Number of Locations: Severely Fragmented:  Number of Mature Individuals: