The Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor census

The Black-faced Spoonbill (BFS) Platalea minor is a migratory waterbird distributed along the East Asian coast. The species used to be classified as Critically Endangered, and is now classified again as Endangered. "Endangered" is defined as "facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future".

From 1993 through 2002, conservationists from numerous countries in the East Asia have coordinated synchronized global winter population counts of Black-faced Spoonbills, an endangered species in the region. Volunteer participants from winter ranges in South Korea, Japan, PRC, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Vietnam have joined in the annual counts. From a starting point of 294 birds in 1988-90, the global population estimate increased to 870 birds by January 2001. Wintering BFS were reported from at least 23 different sites in January 2001. Wintering populations increased in South Korea, Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, but declined in Vietnam.

Since the first international count in 1993, BirdLife International Vietnam Programme had actively participated by undertaking counts made in all the known wintering sites of Black-faced Spoonbill in the Red River Delta. However, in the recent years, while wintering populations increased in all other countries, the population of this species has declined in Vietnam. The reasons for this are habitat loss and over human disturbance along the coast of Vietnam.

On 26-27 January 2002, BirdLife International Vietnam Programme organised Black-faced Spoonbill counts at Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve, Nam Dinh Province, Thai Thuy Nature Reserve, Thai Binh Province, and Ha Nam island, Yen Hung District, Quang Ninh Province. In total, 54 Black-faced Spoonbills were counted including 51 birds at Xuan Thuy Nature Reserve and 3 birds at Ha Nam island, Quang Ninh Province.

Ha Nam island is the first wintering site for the species in the country to be identified outside of the coastal zone of the Red River Delta after a recent record of 4 immature birds from a BirdLife/IEBR survey. On the return visit to the site on 26 January 2002, three juvenile Black-faced Spoonbills were observed, together with a single Eurasian Spoonbill P. leucorodia. The remains of the fourth Black-faced Spoonbill were seen in the house of a local person. The death of this bird highlights the continuing threat to this species in the absence of strict controls on hunting at this site.