Kong et al. Avian Res (2018) 9:18 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-018-0110-0 Avian Research RESEARCH Open Access Status and distribution changes of the endangered Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus) in China over the past three decades (1990s‒2017) Dejun Kong1, Fei Wu2, Pengfei Shan2, Jianyun Gao2, Dao Yan2, Weixiong Luo3 and Xiaojun Yang2* Abstract Background: Understanding the changes in population dynamics, including demographics, distribution and threats, is essential for species status assessing. The endangered Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus) has experienced sharp popula- tion declines and distribution range diminishing both in China and Southeast Asia. Field population surveys have not been conducted in China since the 1990s, which hindered conservation planning and decision-making. Methods: With interview and line transects methods, we fgured out the population and distribution changes of Green Peafowl across its historical ranges over the past three decades in China during 2014‒2017. Results: The Green Peafowl once habituated in 54 counties in China. Nearly 60% of the distribution counties were lost in the past three decades, with the left 22 counties distributed in central, southern and western Yunnan, SW China. Population decrease detected in all distribution areas except for Shuangbai and Xinping county where more than 60% of the total population is located. Only about 30% of the former bird population were recorded with the same interviewing method as 20 years ago. Three birds, 1 carcass, 6 calls and 12 footprints were detected along the 865 km line transects, indicating extremely low encounter rate of Green Peafowl in feld. Sharp decreases in fock sizes were also detected, from 8‒20 birds per fock in the 1990s to 3‒5 birds at present. Poaching and habitat conversion are two widespread and long-lasting threats, while poisoning caused mortality in the past and hydropower construc- tion afect regional population’s survival. Large focks of 18–27 birds were discovered in the feld, which increases our confdence of population recovery of this endangered pheasant in China. Conclusions: Only interviewed bird number and counts based on line transects were presented in this study, with- out further population estimation due to limitation of the data sets. Although the actual population of this cryptic bird must be underestimated, dramatic population declines and distribution concentrations of the endangered Green Peafowl occurred over the past 30 years in China undoubtedly. Keywords: Green Peafowl, Population decline, Range concentration, Endangered species, Southwestern China *Correspondence: [email protected] 2 Bird Group, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creat​iveco​mmons​.org/licen​ses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creat​iveco​mmons​.org/ publi​cdoma​in/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Kong et al. Avian Res (2018) 9:18 Page 2 of 9 Background since then (Han et al. 2009). Te absence of informa- Te Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus) is one of the most tion on the species over the past 20 years has hindered threatened pheasants in the world. As a typical ground- the conservation planning, making species assessment dwelling pheasant species, the Green Peafowl is native challenging both in China and around the world. In this to the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast study, by combining historical reports and feld studies, Asia from Java, to Tailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, we are planning to: (1) fgure out distribution range shifts Myanmar, and southern China (BirdLife International over the past three decades; (2) understand population 2016). Due to its large body size (average body weight: dynamic including general tendency of population num- 3.8‒5.0 kg, maximum body weight: 7.0 kg) and mag- ber and structure (e.g. fock size); then (3) determine and nifcent plumage, (especially the trains of males that can assess the threats faced by the bird across its distribution be more than 2 m long), the bird has experienced great ranges in China. At the end, we hope our fndings could hunting pressure across its geographic range (McGowan beneft future conservations and studies of Green Pea- et al. 1999; BirdLife International 2016). One of the three fowl in China through outlining explicit research objec- subspecies P. m. muticus only exists in Java and has dis- tives and conservation measurements. appeared from peninsular Malaysia and Tailand. Te subspecies P. m. spicifer, distributes from northwest to Methods central and southern Myanmar, to SW Tailand, may Data collection be extinct in NE India and Bangladesh. Te subspecies By reviewing the literature, we summarized the past dis- of P. m. imperator has also experienced sharp popula- tribution and status of the birds before the feld work. tion declines throughout its range from east Myanmar Ten feld surveys were conducted throughout the his- to Tailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Yunnan torical ranges of Green Peafowl distribution in China, Province in China (McGowan et al. 1999; BirdLife Inter- including 11 districts of Yunnan Province (Wen et al. national 2016). Due to the deteriorating conservation sta- 1995; Yang et al. 1997) and 2 districts of Tibet (Yin and tus of Green Peafowl, it was uplisted from Vulnerable to Liu 1993) during 2014‒2017. Due to the large body size, Endangered on the International Union for the Conser- distinctive plumage and importance in traditional Chi- vation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in 2009 (BirdLife Inter- nese culture, the Green Peafowl is well-known by Chi- national 2016). nese people and unlikely to be confused with any other With 35% (55 species) of the 159 pheasant species, species. Tus, an interview survey, which was also China has the highest diversity of pheasants in the world adopted in former studies of 1990s (Wen et al. 1995; Yang (Zheng 2015), and 12 species are considered as threat- et al. 1997), is likely to be a reliable and efective method ened on the IUCN Red List (BirdLife International to survey the population and distribution of the species 2016). Although substantial progress has been achieved across the large study area (covering 394,000 km2 in Yun- in pheasant studies and conservation in China, most of nan Province and 50,600 km2 in Tibet). Terefore, we these studies have not fully considered basic demogra- repeated the studies conducted in the 1990s and used phy information (Zheng 2015), which is an important the interview method to determine the present distribu- reference basis for assessing a species status and estab- tion of Green Peafowl. And also rough data of bird pop- lishing conservation plans. According to the Red List of ulation number and fock size could be obtained from China’s Biodiversity that was ofcially released in 2015, experienced interviewees (Wen et al. 1995). So, for the the Green Peafowl was classifed as a critically endan- interviews, we focused only on staf from the local for- gered species due to the rapid decline of its population, estry bureaus, the forest rangers, elder males and hunt- restricted distribution and continued habitat loss (MEP ers who had more experience and knowledge of wildlife, and CAS 2015). Te historical range of the bird in China but not the public. To avoid disturbance by the interview- once extended to northern, central and southern China, ers, we recorded the conversations with the interviewees including Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and extracted the information of interest instead of dis- and Tibet (Wen and He 1981; Yin and Liu 1993). How- tributing standard questionnaires or providing poten- ever, their distribution range has concentrated to cen- tial options for each question. Questions regarding the tral, western and southern Yunnan, SW China, and the year, location, population number, fock size, habitat estimated population was 800‒1100 individuals during and potential threats were asked to each interviewee. 1991‒1996 (Wen et al. 1995; Yang et al. 1997). Studies We set forth our investigation purpose to every inter- on the population and distribution of this endangered viewee before the interviewing. Te interview would be species in China were mainly completed in the 1990s continued only if the interviewee would like to answer (Wen et al. 1995; Xu 1995; Yang et al. 1997; Luo and our questions and was recognized as a valid independ- Dong 1998;), and feld surveys have not been conducted ent sampling (interview), otherwise the conversion was Kong et al. Avian Res (2018) 9:18 Page 3 of 9 terminated. Totally, we collected 173 valid samplings (4 (2009). To determine the distribution of Green Peafowl interviewees refused our request) from 177 interviewees in this study, we counted the number of administrative including 150 males and 27 females. Although interview counties and towns where the bird occurred in the past survey are not standard method in population estima- and at present. Te past distribution were determined tion and may lead unreliable results, it still give us an from published documents mentioned above, while pre- opportunity in exploring population changes with 1990s sent distribution were confrmed by interviewing and by using the same method. Moreover, it seems to be an line transect survey. efective method to collect species information across the For the population number and fock size, we could vast areas. only collected rough data, mainly numerical ranges Line transects methods were also used to supplement rather than single value, from interviewees both in the the interview surveys.