Black-faced SpoonbillsPlatalea minor(Threskiornithidae)

Introduction

• The black-faced spoonbill (Platalea minor) is one of the rarest birds on the planet and is on the verge of extinction. There are only a mere 1,069 counted at the 2003 International Census of the species on 24-26 January. Platalea minor is the rarest of the six Platalea species within the family Threskiomithidae. These birds live predominantly in Eastern Asia. Their breeding area covers northeastern China and some islands between the border of North and South Korea. Their wintering area is spread over Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam, with more than one half of the population wintering at the estuary of the Tsen-Wen River in Taiwan.

Description

• Bill: black, and long, expanded at tip forming a "spoon". Bill of immatures is • reddish orange.• Feet and legs: black.• Plumage: In summer, the body mostly white except for yellow ornamental plume

s behind head and band across chest .In winter, entire body white, ornamental plumes short. Immature like winter adult, but outer edges of primaries black.

• Unique features: forehead, base and bill and area in front of eye form black patch.• Habits: Single, in small flocks or in large flocks along coasts, in estuaries and on s

hallow sandflats. Feeds by placing bill in water and moving head back and forth as it feels for food.

• Food: small fish, shrimp and conch.• Breeding: breeding sites are on small off-shore islands off the west coast of North

Korea. These islands are protected as Seabird Breeding Protection Areas by the government of North Korea.

 

Breeding Form

• Nesting• Black-faced spoonbills are bred only on some islands in th

e West Sea of Korea• These seafowls choose a rocky part on rugged cliffs for the

ir house, 15 - 45 meters above the sea. The nest, about 60 cm in outside diameter and about 30 cm in inside diameter, is made from twigs, wormwood stalks and reeds.

• Meanwhile, some of them repair and reuse old nests.In case many pairs gather in one spot, their nests are separated by a distance of 1.2 to 1.5 meters.

Nesting island, Demilitarised Zone, Korea.

Wooing and Matching

• A male black-faced spoonbill woos his partner before the pair begins matching. The male bird strokes the female’s cheek, head and neck with his beak.

• The wooed responds to him by doing the same. The foreplay continues for four to five minutes before they start coupling which last seven to eight minutes.

• The wooing and matching are repeated during the bed-making period, and ends after the female bears her first egg and starts hatching.

• Parents repair and reinforce their nest nearly everyday during the hatching and raising period. The male parent is in charge of gathering woody material while the female parent of building and reforming the shelter. The reshaping of the nest is believed to be aimed at preventing the eggs and young from falling, and showing how to build a nest to their young

Courtship behavior of Black-faced Spoonbill

Copulation of Black-faced Spoonbills.

Egg Laying and Hatching

• Its white egg is oval with a chestnut dot pattern. The female starts laying the first eggs at the end of May. She delivers the second two days later. Three eggs are usually laid at one time. The parents sit on the eggs in shifts of about 5.2 hours. The hatching period lasts 26 days.

Raising

• The raising period is 40 days.• Parents fold their young in shifts for the first 11 days and no more. Wh

ile vigilant on sudden attacks by sea mews, they use their wings as a protection from direct sunlight and rain drops and fans the little birds.

• The younger birds’ meal is small fish such as gobies and shrimps. Since the young are born at an interval of two days, they are different in size. Parents allot a larger portion of meal to smaller ones.

• The new-born birds open their eyes on the third day, come to toddle along on the ninth day, and walk on the 14th day. They grow as large as their parents by the 30th day and come to maintain balance by unfolding their wings. Its beak grows to the three-fifths of length of that of the parents by the 40th day.

• After that, parents take their kids out, teaching them how to fly. Their “family life” continues until winter.

Percentage of Successful Breeding

• The percentage of successful breeding is not high. According to a research made on Duk Island regarding five pairs, nine kids were hatched out of 15 eggs.

• Thus, the hatching rate is 60%. The low rate is due mainly to attacks by sea mews. Meanwhile, some die as they fall from their nests during the raising period.

Present status of Black-faced Spoonbills 

• It is said that there are only about 600 Black-faced Spoonbills in the world. The main cause for this pitiable number is the feeding habit. They feed mainly in tidelands. With a situation where rapid destruction of such land makes more difficult for them to find food. It is considered that the chance of extinction is very high.

• In order to protect effectively the species, taking into consideration that they are migratory birds, all of the breeding habitats, stopover sites, and wintering habitats needed to be preserved. Thus leading to the urge to clarify where they breed, which route they take, and where they stopover.

• Already some wintering habitats are known in the Southern Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam. The number 600 were derived from counts made at those principal wintering areas. Curiously, presently known breeding habitats on islands near the Korean Peninsula, only several tens of them are observed which leads to a conclusion that there are definitely other unknown breeding habitats

Migration Route • On July 14, 1995, two young black-faced spoonbills were col

or-ringed on Duk Island (at 38 45' N. and Long. 124 58' E), off Onchon, South Pyongan Province.

• One was found on Nov. 5 at the estuary of a river in Izumi City (32 07' N. and Long. 130 16' E), Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, and the other on Dec. 2 at the estuary of a Vietnamese river (20 16' N. and Long. 106 34' E). The one seen in Japan was alone while the other found in Vietnam was with two fellow travellers.

• This leads to a theory that there are two migration route for the spoonbills. One goes along the coast of the Korean Peninsula to a winter shelter and the other goes along the Chinese mainland coast to a wintering places across Korea’s West Sea.

Ecology at Winter Shelter

• The largest wintering flock (about 290) of black-faced spoonbills can be observed at a 280-ha tideland at the estuary of the Tainan river, Taiwan.

• They take a rest during daytime, and hunt for fish in fish-preserving ponds from night till morning.

• This lifestyle continues throughout winter. They appear in Taiwan in mid-October, and the number grows largest in December.

• They return to their breeding places in March and April when the south-east wind starts blowing

A group of Black-faced Spoonbills on a rocky islet. Although most spoonbills spend the winter along

open muddy coastlines all known breeding sites are

on rocky islands

Natural conservation

• appointing wildlife and specimen

• restriction on wildlife trading, hunting, collecting and breeding

Conservation Hong Kong

• Field Study Know more about the species and

decide a suitable recovery plan• Maintain good environment

at Mai Po A site for them to roost from mid-

September to March Be a food-rich area: shallow

inter- tidal areas, drained fish ponds and gei wai

Intensive conservation

• Establishment of a Conservation Network

A conservation network among organizations of the range countries or areas, e.g. China, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong

• Breeding Ground Study To find new breeding sites

• Satellite-tracking of Migration Routes

Being suitable for catching the birds in winter (they could then be tracked by satellite)

• Inventory of Important Sites To compile a brief inventory of the

sites for the conservation of this species

• International Census To monitor the population trend Raise the interest of the

researchers

• Public Education Promote the public education for

protection

Case of conservation Last year winter, a black-faced spoonbill

which looked like nearly died was found in Mai Po. Then, it was sent to Wild Animals Survival Centre and treated. It recovered very soon and released.

On early of June this year, the black-faced spoonbill was found in South Korea. It is glad that it already reproduce and have two offspring.

It is the first time the wild animals reproduce after recovered. It also a breakthrough of care about the hurt animals.