Hail‐induced mortality of Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans) in Southern Tropical China

Abstract

Hailstorms has been reported to cause mortality of mammals or birds around the world, but the effect of hailstorms on tropical avian species has seldomly been documented. In April 2020, a hailstorm hit Xishuangbanna in south China and was reported to kill 45 Asian Openbills. We estimated the effect of hail by doing fieldwork and interviews. We walked along transects to survey the local avian diversity 3 days after the hail; checked the dead species along the transect; and also interviewed 67 local villagers in 14 villages in the impacted area. We found no evidence that other species were killed by the hail and recorded 40 bird species along the transects in April. Four months later, we surveyed the same transects and recorded 38 species, and the Asian Openbill stayed as one of the most dominant bird species. We concluded that the Asian Openbill is more vulnerable to hail compared with other local birds, but this single hail event did not have an obvious long‐term impact on the population. The result provided an important case study for a tropical bird's response to extreme climate events and we suggested more similar observations to be made in the future.

Breeding ecology of the Asian openbill in eastern Nepal: Larger trees support higher fledgling success

“…( 2019 ) and other waterbird studies (Gach et al., 2018 ; Kuiken et al., 1999 ; Quintana et al., 2022 ). This mortality may be attributed to various factors such as overcrowding, insufficient food supplementation, choking hazards, extreme temperatures, heavy rainfall or hailstorm, tree felling, and hunting (Bourne et al., 2020 ; Katuwal, Sundar, et al., 2022 ; Zhang et al., 2022 ), including predation by House Crows ( Corvus splendens ) and Rufous Treepies ( Dendrocitta vagabunda ; G. Tamang, personal observation). However, further detailed studies are required to fully understand these factors.…”

“…Owing to its extensive distribution range, the Asian openbill is classified as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List assessment (BirdLife International, 2023 ). However, the species faces several anthropogenic and natural threats, including the scarcity of nesting trees, agricultural chemicals, hunting, food shortages, and hailstorms (Bhattarai, 2012 ; Mandal, 2024 ; Pramanik et al., 2014 ; Sundar, 2006 ; Zhang et al., 2022 ).…”

“…The Asian openbill is a large colonial waterbird with an extensive distribution range in South and Southeast Asia (BirdLife International, 2023). In recent years, it has been gradually expanding its range across most Southeast Asian countries (Lim et al., 2008; Low et al., 2013; Zhang et al., 2022). However, in the Indian subcontinent, this species can be found in all countries, with a larger distribution and population in India compared to other countries (Mohapatra et al., 2019).…”