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Confirmed breeding records of Asian Woollyneck Ciconia episcopus from Bangladesh

Authors:
Mohammad Tarik Hasan at Pixmatic Digital
Mohammad Tarik Hasan
  • Pixmatic Digital
Ghimire Prashant at Kent State University
Ghimire Prashant
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Abstract and Figures

Asian Woollyneck is a globally "Vulnerable" stork species found in Asia. Information on its status in Bangladesh is scanty. In this note, we provide successful breeding records of Asian Woollyneck from Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj Districts confirming the breeding of the species in Bangladesh.
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Publicationofthe
IUCN‑SSCStork,IbisandSpoonbill
SpecialistGroup
SISConservation
Issue2,2020
SpecialSection
Woolly‑neckedStork
ecologyand
conservation
MohammadTarikHASAN1,PrashantGHIMIRE2*
1PixmaticDigital,Dhaka,Bangladesh
2FacultyofScience,Health&Technology,NepalOpenUniversity,Lalitpur,Nepal
*Correspondingauthor;e.mail:prashantghimire66@gmail.com
Confirmed breeding records of Asian Woollyneck Ciconia episcopus
from Bangladesh
SISConservation,2020,2,xx‐xx
SHORTCOMMUNICATION
Articlehistory
Received:24January2020,
Receivedinrevisedform:22June2020,
Accepted:25June2020,
Publishedonline:05October2020
AbstractAsianWoollyneckisaglobally“Vulnerable”storkspeciesfoundinAsia.Informationonits
status in Bangladesh is scanty. In this note we provide successful breeding records of Asian
WoollyneckfromRajshahiand Chapainawabganj Districts confirming the breedingofthespeciesin
Bangladesh.
KeywordsBangladesh,Ciconiaepiscopus,WoollyneckedStork.
©2020TheAuthors.SISConservation.Publishedby:IUCNStork,IbisandSpoonbillSpecialistGroup xx
www.storkibisspoonbill.org/sisconservationpublications/
Introduction
Asian Woollyneck Ciconia episcopus is a
vulnerablestorkspeciespatchilydistributedacross
South Asia and South East Asia (BirdLife
International 2019). It nests on a stick platform
built1030m(andsometimesupto50 m) above
thegroundinatreeoronartificialstructuressuch
as towers which are sometimes over water
(Greeshman et al. 2018; BirdLife International
2019).
InBangladesh,AsianWoollyneckwas considered
to be a rare winter migrant and is listed as a
“Critically Endangered” species considering its
small and fluctuating wintering population in the
country (IUCN Bangladesh 2015). Khan (1987)
mentions that Asian Woollyneck used to breed
infrequently in Sunderbans, Mymensingh and
Sylhet districts. However, he had no sightings of
the species in a decadelong survey except for a
dead bird record in Rajshahi district in 1972
(Khan1987).Onlythreerecordsofthisstorkwere
reportedfromtheJamunaRiver,Padma River and
the Sundarbans between the 1990s and 2013
(Thompson et al. 2014). There are no breeding
records forAsian Woollyneck in Bangladesh. This
note provides two recent observations of breeding
along with details of the nest site and the number
ofchicksthatfledged.
Studyarea
Adhoc observations were conducted in two districts,
Rajashahi and Chapai Nawabganj. Rajashahi District
liesonthenorth bank ofthePadmaRiveropposite the
BangladeshIndia border. Chapai Nawabganj is the
western most district of Bangladesh bordered by the
PadmaRiverandIndiatothesouthwest.
Methods
NestsweremonitoredfromAugust2017(Rajshahi)and
September 2018 (Chapai nawabgunj) onwards after an
opportunistic sighting of an Asian Woollyneck during
regular birding in August 2017. Observations were
carried out between August and December of 2017,
2018 and 2019 to observe nest conditions and track
breedingsuccess.Nestswereobservedusingbinoculars
and photographs were taken from afar to minimize
disturbance. Distances from nest site to important
HasanandGhimire,2020 AsianWoollyneckbreedinginBangladesh
xx
featureswereestimatedbytheobserver.
Results
Nest 1: On November 2017, we found a single
nest on cell phone tower of Rajshahi district
(Figure1).This nestwas45mabove groundand
locatedona 65 mcellphonetower.According to
localpeople2017wasthefirstyearofbreedingof
storksonthistower.The nest site was very close
tosettlements,50mfromtheRajshahiNawabganj
highway,1kmtoPadmaRiver,andthetowerwas
located on agricultural land. Number of chicks
that fledged were two (2017), three (2018) and
two(2019)inthethreeyearsofobservation.There
weretwoothercellphone towers within a200m
radius of the nest within human settlements, but
nestingwasobservedonthesametowerthatstood
onagriculturallands.Someofthetreespeciesthat
werepresentaroundthenestwereAcacianilotica,
DalbergiasissoandMangiferaindica.
Nest2:InSeptember2018,thenestwasobserved
30 km northwest to Nest 1 near Joyandipur in
ChapaiNawabganj District.Twoadults withfour
unfledgedchickswereobservedinanestonacell
phone tower which is very close to settlements
and 300 m distance to Padma River. However,
according to local people, this nest was
subsequently disturbed during regular
maintenance of the tower, and the adults
abandonedthenest.Noneofthejuvenilesfledged,
andthistowerandnestsitewasnotused in2019.
The most common tree species around this site
wereBombaxceibaandDalbergiasisso.
Discussion
AsianWoollyneck nests on Bombax ceiba(Ali&
Ripley, 1978), Dalbergia sissoo (Ishtiaq et al.
2004) and Mangifera indica (PG, unpublished
information),allofwhichwerepresentaroundnest
sitesinBangladesh.ButAsianWoollyneckseemed
to prefer artificial towers likely due to the greater
height of the towers and the stronger nest
substrates that towers provided. Vaghela et al.
(2015)hadalsoobservedthisspecies breedingon
towers and suggests that nesting on towers could
beanadaptationtorapiddevelopment.Cellphone
tower of nest 1 was on an agricultural field and
mayhaveprovidedpreytostorksduringbreeding.
Thissuggeststhatstorkscouldbeusingtowersthat
provideeasyaccesstofoodandmayhaveavoided
othertowersinthevicinitythatwerelocatedinside
humanhabitation.Itisalsopossiblethattheywere
avoiding direct human disturbance. Asian
Woollyneck also forages on human dominated
landscapes such as rice paddyfields (Sundar
2006). Asian Woollyneck used to be hunted in
Rajshahi (IUCN Bangladesh 2015) but the
breedingofthestorkssoclosetohumanhabitation
suggeststhathuntinghasreducedinthisregion.
We have no information on maintenance of tower
of Nest 1 and assume that nesting birds were
disturbed minimally, or the tower was not visited
formaintenanceduringthebreedingperiod.When
not disturbed, cell phone towers appear to be
adequateforAsianWoollyneckstonest.Therefore,
an awareness program is needed that can help to
reduce disturbance to storks that nest on towers.
Finally, there is a need to understand why Asian
Woollynecks choose cell phone towers instead of
nearbytrees.
Acknowledgments
MTH is thankful to Enam Al Haque, Onu Tarek, Arif Ul
Anam, Dr. Reza Khan, Monirul H. Khan for continuous
guidanceandsupport.PGthanks Paul Thompson and Carol
Inskipp for their comment on manuscript. We appreciate
supportofMd.Faruk,localstudentwho helped during nest
observation. We thank two anonymous reviewers for
commentsandsuggestionsonthemanuscript.
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... Its long-term persistence is threatened because of hunting, collection of its eggs, and nesting tree degradation; with a paucity of information on this species escalating the threats to its survival (Inskipp et al. 2016). Studies on nesting ecology and breeding of Asian woollyneck are sparse and are mostly reported from single or only a few nest site observations around its distribution range (Banerjee 2017;Kularatne and Udagedara 2017;Ghimire et al. 2020;Hasan and Ghimire 2020). Some studies have been conducted in India (Ishtiaq et al. 2004;Kittur and Sundar 2021), creating a serious gap in our knowledge on the current nesting and breeding success of this species in other part of its range (Ghimire et al. 2021). ...
... Our study reports two new species used as nesting trees: Pinus roxburghii and Alnus nepalensis which are distributed in foothills of Himalayas. Asian woollyneck have also been observed nesting on rock cliffs (Rahmani and Singh 1996) or artificial structures such as cell phone towers in India and Bangladesh (Vyas and Tomar 2006;Vaghela et al. 2015;Greeshma et al. 2018;Hasan and Ghimire 2020). Such observations have not been reported from Nepal to date. ...
... Also, storks are found preferring sites closer to settlements, as they provide easy access for food resources along with reduced pressure from large predators (Schulz 1998). Many examples of woollyneck breeding in cell phone towers closer to human settlements in South Asian countries also supports this finding (Vaghela et al. 2015;Greeshma et al. 2018;Hasan and Ghimire 2020). ...
Nesting habitat suitability and breeding of Asian woollyneck (Ciconia episcopus) in Nepal
Article
Full-text available
  • Aug 2022
Asian woollyneck (Ciconia episcopus) is a large wading bird species whose conservation status has been recently down-listed, despite a lack of concrete information on its nesting ecology and breeding success. In this study, we report its breeding success and nest habitat suitability in Nepal from 39 nesting sites (2016-2020). Simal (Bombax ceiba) (n = 21), followed by sal tree(Shorea robusta) (n = 6), and rani-salla (Pinus roxburghii) (n = 4) were the most common tree with mean height of the nesting tree, nest height, and tree diameter being 30 ± 5.8 m (± SD), 25.20 ± 5.75 m, and 1.03 ± 0.35 m, respectively. Nesting and fledging success were recorded from 31 nesting attempts at 19 of these sites, with an estimated nesting success probability of 0.81 ± 0.07 and a mean fledging success of 1.94 ± 0.25 chicks per nest. MaxEnt modelling identified a total potential suitable nesting habitat area of 9.64% (14,228 km 2) of the area in Nepal, with this located within 72 districts, mostly in the west. The modelling parameters suggest that slope, land use, and precipitation during the driest months were important determinants of nesting habitat suitability. We recommend that priority be given to conserving taller trees (especially simal) close to settlements and croplands of Nepal. Also, that future surveys should consider examining the districts highlighted by our model as being the most likely candidates for containing woollyneck nesting habitat, especially those (such as Dang District) where woollyneck nests have not been previously reported.
View
... From this we found 25 papers that included distributional or relevant ecological information on the Woollyneck as major species. Of these, only ten were research studies (Ishtiaq et al. 2004;Sundar 2006;Pande et al. 2007;Jangtarwan et al. 2019;Katuwal et al. 2020;Mandal et al. 2020;Roshnath & Greeshma 2020;Tiwary 2020;Gula et al. 2020;Ghimire et al. in press), while the other 15 papers were short notes on observations of Woollyneck (Rahmani & Singh 1996;Ishtiaq 1998;Maduranga 2002;Vyas & Tomar 2006;Han et al. 2011;Burnham & Wood 2012;Choudhary et al. 2013;Vaghela et al. 2015 Greeshma et al. 2018;Hasan & Ghimire 2020;Ghimire et al. 2020). The primary locations of these studies and short notes were: India (n= 14), Nepal (n=5), Sri Lanka (n= 2), China (n=2), Bangladesh (n=1) and Thailand (n= 1). ...
... From the 1990s to 2013, only three Woollyneck sightings were made in Bangladesh (from the Jamuna River, the Padma River, and the Sundarbans; Thompson et al. 2014). More recently, nesting has been reported from the Rajashahi district (2017 -2019), and Chapai Nawabganj (2018), along the Padma River in western Bangladesh close to India (Hasan & Ghimire 2020) demonstrating that this species still breeds occasionally in Bangladesh and is, therefore, not only a winter visitor. Recent observations also appear to be restricted to the Padma River region in western Bangladesh (eBird 2020). ...
... According to Ishtiaq et al. (2004) the availability of water nearby is not a prime requirement. However, such nesting habitat selection for sites is likely locally variable as Woollynecks are also reported to breed successfully in highly disturbed areas within human settlements and close to agricultural areas and wetlands (Kularatne & Udagedara 2017;Banarjee 2017;Greeshma et al. 2018;Hasan & Ghimire 2020;Ghimire et al. 2020). Although Woollyneck typically nest in trees, they have also been reported as breeding on cliffs (Rahmani & Singh 1996), and in the past 20 years, there has been an increase in observations of Woollyneck breeding on artificial structures such as cell phone towers (Vyas & Tomar 2006;Vaghela et al. 2015;Greeshma et al. 2018;Hasan & Ghimire 2020). ...
The Asian Woollyneck Ciconia episcopus: A Review of its Status, Distribution and Ecology
Article
  • Jul 2021
The Asian Woollyneck Ciconia episcopus is a stork found throughout Asia whose international conservation status is currently being considered for reclassification from vulnerable to near-threatened. However, much of what is known about this species is fragmented across observational reports and small studies making a comprehensive assessment of population trends difficult. Here, we bring together all available published information to see what is known and what research questions still need answering in order to make reliable assessments of regional population trends and identify probable drivers of decline. Despite the species likely being extinct in the extremes of its former range and evidence of dramatic declines in Southeast Asia, Asian Woollyneck appears to be stable or increasing in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Observations of its preferred foraging and nesting habitats in South versus Southeast Asia show some obvious differences that may explain regional variations in population trends. In South Asia the bird is common in open grasslands and agricultural areas, while in Southeast Asia it is mostly observed in forested areas. Also, reports of the Asian Woollyneck nesting on cell phone towers is increasing in South Asia. However, because of a severe lack of reporting from Southeast Asia, it is unclear if or how these regional differences in population trends and habitat use are linked. Structured surveys and studies into the Asian Woollyneck foraging, nesting and movement ecology are urgently needed to understand the extent and drivers of decline in Southeast Asia. Therefore, researchers should focus future studies on population trends across the species' range, and aim to identify the local factors influencing recent changes in population growth. Without such knowledge, reassessment of its conservation status may be premature.
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... Its long-term persistence is threatened because of hunting, collection of its eggs, and nesting tree degradation; with a paucity of information on this species escalating the threats to its survival (Inskipp et al. 2016). Studies on nesting ecology and breeding of Asian woollyneck are sparse and are mostly reported from single or only a few nest site observations around its distribution range (Banerjee 2017;Kularatne and Udagedara 2017;Ghimire et al. 2020;Hasan and Ghimire 2020). Some studies have been conducted in India (Ishtiaq et al. 2004;Kittur and Sundar 2021), creating a serious gap in our knowledge on the current nesting and breeding success of this species in other part of its range (Ghimire et al. 2021). ...
... Our study reports two new species used as nesting trees: Pinus roxburghii and Alnus nepalensis which are distributed in foothills of Himalayas. Asian woollyneck have also been observed nesting on rock cliffs (Rahmani and Singh 1996) or artificial structures such as cell phone towers in India and Bangladesh (Vyas and Tomar 2006;Vaghela et al. 2015;Greeshma et al. 2018;Hasan and Ghimire 2020). Such observations have not been reported from Nepal to date. ...
... Also, storks are found preferring sites closer to settlements, as they provide easy access for food resources along with reduced pressure from large predators (Schulz 1998). Many examples of woollyneck breeding in cell phone towers closer to human settlements in South Asian countries also supports this finding (Vaghela et al. 2015;Greeshma et al. 2018;Hasan and Ghimire 2020). ...
Nesting habitat preference and breeding of Asian Woollyneck (Ciconia episcopus) in Nepal
Preprint
  • Apr 2021
Background: Asian Woollyneck Ciconia episcopus is large wading bird whose conservation status has been recently down-listed, despite a lack of general knowledge on its nesting ecology and breeding success. Thus, in this study we conducted the most comprehensive survey on the nesting ecology of this species to date. Methods: We located 39 nesting sites across 18 districts of Nepal and recorded nest tree characteristics for the nine tree species they nested in. We also used Maxent modelling to further understand factors important for nesting habitat suitability and to identify new areas for future surveys. Results: They most commonly nested in Simal Bombax ceiba (n =21), followed by Sal Shorea robusta (n=6) and Salla Pinus roxburghii (n=4). The mean height of the nesting tree, nest height and tree diameter were 29.8 ± 5.8m (±SD), 1.03 ± 0.35m & 25.3 ± 5.8 m respectively. Nesting and fledging success were additionally recorded from 31 nesting attempts at 19 of these nesting sites between 2016 and 2020. Woollyneck had an estimated nesting success probability of 0.81 ± 0.07 and a mean fledging success of 1.94 ± 0.25 (±SE) chicks per nest. MaxEnt modelling identified a total potential suitable nesting habitat area of 9.64 % (14228km2) of total area in Nepal, with this located within 72 districts (out of 77), mostly in the western part of Nepal. The modelling parameters suggest that slope, land-use, precipitation and forest were important determinants of nesting habitat suitability. Conclusions: The most likely district reported by the model for Woollyneck nesting habitat has not previously reported nests which suggests additional survey effort in this region is warranted. We recommend that priority should be given to conserve taller trees close to settlements and cropland, and future studies should consider the potential impact of climate change on nesting suitability of this species.
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... In South Africa, this species has taken to supplementary feeding and shown high nesting propensity on exotic trees and man-made structures in urban and sub-urban areas (Thabethe, 2018). Anecdotal observations in South Asia have shown Woolly-necked Storks nesting on trees inside cities, on artificial structures such as cell phone towers, and spreading to arid areas following new irrigation canals suggesting that the species adapts to novel man-made conditions (Choudhary et al., 2013;Singh, 2015;Vaghela et al., 2015;Hasan and Ghimire, 2020;Mehta, 2020). Based on these recent findings and . ...
... Pylons in Haryana were usually located away from human habitation, and it would not have been unreasonable to find more nests on this substrate. Anecdotal observations of Woollynecked Storks using human-made structures such as cell phone towers have been suspected to be related to reduction of nest trees and to reduced human disturbance (Vaghela et al., 2015;Hasan and Ghimire, 2020). Our documentation does not provide evidence of either supposition since Jhajjar and Rohtak did not have a paucity of nest trees, and nests on pylons were not further from human Table 3 Scaled Manly's selection ratios (B i ) for tree species used for nesting by Woolly-necked Storks in Jhajjar and Rohtak districts, Haryana. ...
Of irrigation canals and multifunctional agroforestry: Traditional agriculture facilitates Woolly-necked Stork breeding in a north Indian agricultural landscape
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2021
Conservation of biodiversity alongside agriculture is now a global priority. Tree-nesting waterbirds have a tenuous relationship with farmlands because their survival requires farmers to retain trees and wetlands amid croplands. Research on such birds is rare on tropical and sub-tropical agricultural landscapes where high human densities and intensive farming ostensibly deteriorate breeding conditions. We explored breeding ecology and nest site selection by the single-nesting Woolly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus) in Haryana, north India using 298 nests from 166 locations discovered between 2016 and 2020. We determined the relative strengths of association of nest locations with natural features (trees, wetlands), human presence (habitation) and artificial water sources (irrigation canals) to understand cues used by breeding storks to situate nests. Woolly-necked Stork brood size from 42 successful nests was relatively high (3.1 ± 0.9 SD), with nests close to human habitation and wetlands having smaller broods. Storks showed high nest site fidelity (44.5% of sites used > 1 year), rarely nested on man-made structures (electricity pylons; 8.4%), and distributed nests in a clumped pattern. Woolly-necked Storks situated nests ambivalent to natural features but associated strongly with man-made features (positively with irrigation canals; negatively with human habitation). Contrary to expectations, most nests were not on the tallest trees but on the medium sized, native Dalbergia sissoo though storks situated nests on two tall trees (native Ficus religiosa and exotic Eucalyptus sp.) far more than the trees’ availability. All three tree species were favoured either for traditional agroforestry or local religious beliefs. Traditional agriculture in Haryana supported a substantial breeding population of Woolly-necked Storks facilitated by agriculture-related components rather than existing natural features. This novel scenario contradicts conventional narratives that suggest multi-season small holder tropical and sub-tropical agriculture degrades breeding conditions for waterbirds. Our findings in Haryana reiterate the need to assemble a diverse conservation toolkit of different locally relevant mechanisms supporting biodiversity amid cultivation.
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... The articles for the Special Section are diverse, including a collection of unpublished field sightings (Tiwary 2020), a couple of sightings of nesting in previously unreported locations (Hasan andGhimire 2020; Mehta 2020), an analysis of secondary data available on the online portal eBird (Roshnath and Greeshma 2020), analyses of a combination of field data and volunteer observations from various sources (Gula et al. 2020; Mandal et al. 2020, and analyses of information collected from systematic field surveys (Katuwal et al. 2020; Kittur and Sundar 2020; Win et al. 2020. Such a combination of papers with such disparate sources of information has its challenges in terms of how results should be interpreted and whether findings can be easily compared. ...
... Tiwary (2020) also describes a potentially novel foraging behaviour that speaks of the behavioural plasticity that WNS appear capable of. Hasan and Ghimire (2020) describe nesting of WNS on cell phone towers in Bangladesh -a country where the species was suspected to be extinct as a breeding species. This behaviour of using humanmade structures for nesting by WNS was once thought to be novel but seems to be widespread suggesting that some constructions potentially benefit the species. ...
Woolly-necked Stork -a species ignored
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2021
Provides a detailed background to the conservation status and ecological understanding available on Woolly-necked Storks, and showcases the value of replacing assumptions with field data. Underscores some incorrect assumptions regarding the conservation needs of the species, provides an update (with references from the Special Section of the same issue, and additional references), and provides a roadmap for improving the understanding of this species.
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... This species uses both artificial and natural wetlands such as agricultural lands, grassland, marshes, water holes, lagoons, flood plains, dams, flooded pastures, rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds (Sunder 2006; del Hoyo et al. 2020. Asian Woollynecks have been observed constructing nests on trees close to forest edges, wetlands, grasslands and agricultural lands (BirdLife International 2017), and more recently also on manmade structures such as cellphone towers (Vaghela et al. 2015; Hasan andGhimire 2020). ...
Asian Woollynecks are uncommon on the farmlands of lowland Nepal
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2020
Asian Woollyneck Ciconia episcopus is a globally threatened stork found across south and southeast Asian countries. In Nepal, it is considered as a fairly common resident species although categorized as ‘NearThreatened’. Here, we report on Asian Woollyneck occurrences in 116 transects (farmland100, forest8, river8) each measuring 500 m across four districts of lowland Nepal (Kapilvastu, Chitwan, Sarlahi and Sunsari) and surveyed in multiple seasons from April 2018 to December 2019 for a total of 985 transect counts. Despite our extensive survey, we recorded Asian Woollynecks in only 14 transect counts of which eight were along the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park (CNP). All sightings were of small flocks with 1-2 storks. Majority of the sightings (85%) were in farmlands, remaining in river but not in forest. We observed one nest on a Sal Shorea robusta tree along the buffer zone of CNP in 2019 from which one chick fledged in early October. Our study adds to the meager information available on Asian Wollyneck in Nepal and indicates that this species is sparsely distributed in the lowland farmlands.
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... There is very little information on the breeding ecology of the species, though it is known to use both trees and manmade structures such as cell phone towers to nest on (Hasan and Ghimire 2020). Using available reports on the portal eBird, we summarised nest locations of Woollynecked Storks in Kerala. ...
Publication of the IUCN-SSC Stork, Ibis and Spoonbill Specialist Group SIS Conservation Special Section Woolly-necked Stork ecology and conservation Status of Woolly-necked Storks in Kerala, south-western India
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2020
Woollynecked Stork is a large wading bird found in wetlands and reservoirs in Kerala. Using bird checklists uploaded on eBird, we analysed the distribution, seasonality, flocking propensity, breeding and trend of reporting of Woollynecked Storks by birdwatchers in Kerala. We found no longterm variation in the annual rates of reporting in checklists between 2000 and 2020. Reports of Woollynecked Storks were largely of solitary birds, with reports of flocks of more than five individuals being infrequent. Although widespread in the state during winter, Woollynecked Storks are found concentrated in central Kerala during the summer months. Only 16 nesting sites were identified, most of which were in central Kerala, and included both trees and manmade structures such as cellphone towers. From our analyses of checklists, we infer that Woollynecked Storks in Kerala have a small resident population with indications of seasonal movements.
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Museum Genomics approach to study the taxonomy and evolution of Woolly-necked storks using historic specimens
Article
  • Apr 2024
The accessibility of genomic tools in evolutionary biology has allowed for a thorough exploration of various evolutionary processes associated with adaptation and speciation. However, genomic studies in natural systems present numerous challenges, reflecting the inherent complexities of studying organisms in their native habitats. The utilization of museum specimens for genomics research has received increased attention in recent times, facilitated by advancements in ancient DNA techniques. In this study, we have utilized a museum genomics approach to analyze historic specimens of Woolly-necked storks (Ciconia sps.) and examine their genetic composition, taxonomic status, and explore the evolutionary and adaptive trajectories of populations over the years. The Woolly-necked storks are distributed in Asia and Africa with a taxonomic classification that has been a matter of ambiguity. Asian and African Woollynecks were recently recognized as different species based on their morphological differences, however, their genomic validation was lacking. In this study, we have used ∼70-year-old museum samples for whole-genome population-scale sequencing. Our study has revealed that Asian and African Woollyneck are genetically distinct, consistent with the current taxonomic classification based on morphological features. However, we also found a high genetic divergence between the Asian sub-species C. e. neglecta and C. e. episcopus suggesting this classification requires a detailed examination to explore processes of ongoing speciation. Because taxonomic classification directly impacts conservation efforts, and there is evidence of declining populations of Asian Woollynecks in Southeast Asia, our results highlight that population-scale studies are urgent to determine the genetic, ecological, and phylogenetic diversity of these birds.
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Comparing abundance and habitat use of Woolly-necked Storks Ciconia episcopus inside and outside protected areas in Myanmar
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2021
Protected areas form the backbone of biodiversity conservation especially in southeast Asia which is both a global biodiversity hotspot and is facing extreme developmental pressures. The ability of large waterbirds to use habitats outside protected areas is poorly understood in most southeast Asian countries despite the potential of humanmodified areas such as agricultural fields to provide alternative habitats. We assessed abundance and habitat use inside and outside protected areas of Woollynecked Storks, a large waterbird species thought to be declining due to deterioration of forested reserves, in five regions of Myanmar. Woollynecked Stork abundance (birds/km) and use of three habitats (agriculture fields, forests, wetlands) were compared using transects within and outside protected areas, each monitored six times annually for three continuous years (2016-2018). Specifically, we assessed if abundance and habitat use varied due to protection status and whether location, season (summer, winter, and rainy season) and time of day (morning and evening) additionally influenced measured metrics. Woollynecked Storks were seen in 55% of all transects, but in the 990 total transect runs, were seen in only 44% of transects with a higher frequency of sightings on transects outside (61%) compared to inside protected areas (25%). Encounter rates were, on average, 1.5 times higher outside compared to inside protected areas. Encounter rates also varied significantly with season with most storks being encountered in summers and the least in the winters, and seasonal patterns were similar inside and outside protected areas. Encounter rates showed weak declining trends in the majority of transects with measured declines being more than twice inside protected areas than outside. Woollynecked Storks were mostly observed in wetlands (53%) and in agricultural fields (35%) and used forested areas and wetlands significantly more inside protected areas. Storks displayed plasticity outside protected areas by using agricultural fields. This study provides the first formal comparison of Woollynecked Stork ecology inside and outside protected areas. In addition to continuing to secure protected areas for biodiversity conservation in Myanmar, expanding the conservation paradigm into agricultural landscapes with unprotected wetlands is essential for the longterm persistence of large waterbird species such as the Woollynecked Storks.
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NEST-SITE CHARACTERISTICS OF BLACK-NECKED STORK (EPHIPPIORHYNCHUS ASIATICUS) AND WHITE-NECKED STORK (CICONIA EPISCOPUS) IN KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK, BHARATPUR, INDIA
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2004
Studies conducted in the Keoladeo National Park during 1994-1997 on nest-site selection in the Blacknecked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) and White-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus) showed that girth at breast height (GBH), height and canopy spread were the major factors governing the placement of nests. There were significant differences between the height, canopy spread, and GBH of nesting and nonnesting trees used by the two stork species. The Black-necked Stork nested on top canopies of tall Babool Acacia nilotica trees with high GBH, while the White-necked Stork nested on Mitragyna parvifolia, in the dense middle foliage.
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Conservation of Storks and Other Waterbirds in Bangladesh
Article
  • Jan 1987
Among the seven species of resident and migratory storks of Bangladesh, two resident species have been extripated, the status of three storks are uncertain, and the remaining two species are fast disappearing owing to loss of habitat and hunting. In addition the avifauna includes another 14 species of colonial waterbirds in 15,000 square kilometers of wetlands. Increased fishing, conversion of wetlands into arable lands, removal of village groves and hunting have reduced the populations of these waterbirds. Conservation measures are needed to save the stroks and other waterbirds.
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Flock Size, Density and Habitat Selection of Four Large Waterbirds Species in an Agricultural Landscape in Uttar Pradesh, India: Implications for Management
Article
  • Jan 2009
Agricultural landscapes provide a wide variety of avian habitats that vary seasonally. The effects of seasonal habitat changes on the habits of four large waterbird species in an agriculture-wetland mosaic are investigated in this paper. The habits of Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala), Asian Openbills (Anastomus oscitans), Woolly-necked Storks (Ciconia episcopus) and Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) were documented over a 15-month period in Etawah and Mainpuri districts, Uttar Pradesh, India. Monthly road transects were undertaken to determine flock sizes, density, and habitat preference of these species. Flock sizes varied significantly with season for Woolly-necked Storks and Black-headed Ibis and with habitat for Painted Storks. Flock size and density were strongly correlated in all four species. Increasing wetland size and extent of wetlands in the landscape affected flock size of Asian Openbills implying that food availability may be the most important factor affecting flocking in this species. Density differed seasonally for Woolly-necked Storks and Black-headed Ibis. Density of all four species did not vary with extent of wetlands in the landscape. Monthly densities of Black-headed Ibis were correlated to that of all the other three species. Habitat use varied widely across species and seasons. Natural wetlands but not rice fields were preferred by all four species in nearly all seasons. Irrigation canals were avoided consistently by the Black-headed Ibis and used to different extents by the other three species. Flooded agriculture fields did not compensate adequately for natural wetlands. Wetlands need to be retained in agricultural landscapes to ensure continued survival of these species.
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Breeding of Woolly xx necked Stork Ciconia episcopus in
  • Jan 2018
  • 8687
  • P Greeshman
  • P Riju
  • P Nair
  • E A Jayson
  • K Manoj
  • V Arya
  • E G Shonith
Greeshman, P., P. Riju, P. Nair, E. A. Jayson, K. Manoj, V. Arya and E. G. Shonith. 2018. Breeding of Woolly xx necked Stork Ciconia episcopus in Bharathapuzha River Basin, Kerala, India. Indian Birds 14: 8687.
  • Jan 2015
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Thompson, P. M., S. M. Chowdhury, E. U. Haque, M. Monirul and R. Halder. 2014. Notable bird records from Bangladesh from July 2002 to July 2013. Forktail 30: 50 65.
Woolly necked Storks Ciconia episcopus nesting on mobile towers in Pune
  • Jan 2015
  • 155
  • U Vaghela
  • D Sawant
  • V Bhagwat
Vaghela, U., D. Sawant and V. Bhagwat. 2015. Woolly necked Storks Ciconia episcopus nesting on mobile towers in Pune, Maharashtra. Indian Birds 10 (6): 154 155.