Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic note
Mareca falcata (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously placed in the genus Anas.
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
| Migratory status |
full migrant |
Forest dependency |
does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type |
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: The population size of this species is assumed to be moderately large, based principally on coordinated counts from the non-breeding grounds. A previous estimate of 78,000-89,000 (Cao et al. 2008) is now considered too precautionary, with a revised number of at least c.132,500 derived from a count of c.125,000 in the Yangtze River floodplain in 2019/2020 (Meng 2019, Zhang et al. 2020), c.1,100 in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, 1,500–4,000 in Japan, and c.2,500–6,000 birds in the Republic of Korea; small numbers elsewhere in South-East Asia counted as part of the Asian Waterbird Census total fewer than 50 birds (Wetlands International 2022). On the assumption that these coordinated counts may have missed some—but unlikely many—birds, the total population is estimated here to be 132,500-150,000 birds, or (assuming a ratio of 0.66), 87,000–100,000 mature individuals.
Trend justification: Using WPE5 data (Wetlands International 2012) and that collected subsequently (see Langendoen et al. 2021 for method), the International Waterbird Census determined an uncertain trend that fell into the bracket of likely stable (growth rate c.1.03). In China, studies by Meng (2019) and Zhang et al. (2020) portray a complex picture, where numbers in the Yangtze River floodplain have likely increased (between 2004/2005 and 2019/2020), while those in coastal areas have declined. For example, at repeat-effort sites in the Yangtze floodplain numbers at some localities have surged by more than 50% since 2004/05, but at coastal sites, the species has evidently declined, e.g.: from 5,660 in 2006/2007 to 1,200 in 2018/19 in Hangzhou Wan, Zhejiang (Zhang et al. 2020). The reasons for this increase are unknown, and it is unclear whether these reflect a genuine increase in the global population, or a redistribution of birds from elsewhere in East Asia. The population in Japan is generally considered stable (Kasahara and Koyama 2010) while declines have recently been noticed in South Korea (Moores et al. 2014). Given that the numeric gains observed in the Yangtze floodplain far exceed the plausible losses from South Korea and coastal areas of China, it is difficult to conclude these data are indicative of a global decline over the past three generations (11.5 years: 2011–2023). Evaluating the global trend, Wetlands International (2022) consider the global trend to be stable or increasing; precautionarily the former is accepted here.
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Falcated Duck Mareca falcata. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/falcated-duck-mareca-falcata on 23/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/12/2024.
