Shorebirds of the Yellow Sea
Importance, threats and conservation status
Mark Barter
Wetlands International, 2002
ISBN 90 5882 009 2
4. Shorebirds occuring in internationally important numbers at Yellow Sea sites (continued)
4.4 Species accounts (continued)
4.4.11 Spotted Greenshank Tringa guttifer
Subspecies None; entire global population confined to the EAAF.
Distribution
Breeding: Sakhalin, w. Sea of Okhotsk, and, probably, Kamchatka.
Non-breeding: Coastal. Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Indochina and Malaysia.
Usage and importance of Yellow Sea
Occurrence: Intertidal areas. NM and SM Recorded widely, but very rare. Largest concentrations in the Yancheng NNR-Dongsha region in China and on the nw. coast of South Korea. Apparently more common on SM. In South Korea, most consistently recorded in recent years (since 1993) at Namyang Man (9 times), Asan Man (7), Ganghwa Do (5), Yeong Jong Do (3), Dongjin Gang Hagu (3) and Mangyeung Gang Hagu (2). Significant undercounting may have occurred because of the difficulty of separating this species from the Common Greenshank.
Movements: NM Peak numbers occur in South Korea in May. SM Peak numbers in South Korea occur in the September-October period. Migrates on a narrow front across the Korean Peninsula during NM and on a broader front, including Japan, during SM (BirdLife International 2001).
Significance of Yellow Sea: The Yellow Sea is extremely important for this species on both NM and SM.
Key sites: 9 internationally important sites have been identified, 6 in South Korea and 3 in China; 4 of the sites are important during NM and 6 during SM (see site location maps below). Namyang Man is important during both NM and SM, and supports >5% of the estimated flyway population on NM, whilst the Mangyeung and Dongjin estuaries support >5% on SM. N.B. A record of 210 individuals at Yancheng NNR on SM has been treated as unconfirmed. The extreme rarity of this species means that any site at which the species has occurred in recent years is of conservation importance (see Site Accounts).
Status of key sites: 2 of the Chinese sites are within Protected Areas. Mangyeung Gang Hagu is currently being reclaimed as part of the Saemangeum Reclamation Project.
Major gaps in knowledge: Insufficient information on migration routes. Incomplete geographical and temporal coverage in China. No information from North Korea.
Site count references
- Yi & Kim in prep.
- Wang 1997
- Wang & Barter 1998
- Moores 1999a
- Wang et al. 1991
- Wang & Barter 1998
CONSERVATION STATUS: Endangered
EAAF POPULATION ESTIMATE: 1 000
YELLOW SEA
Status: Passage migrant
Estimated minimum numbers:
No estimates, but probably supports most of the population on both NM and SM.
INTERNATIONALLY IMPORTANT SITES (and Protected Area status)
South Korea: 6 (part of 1)
China: 3 (2)
 |
China | South Korea | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dongsha | 4 | Ganghwa Do | |
| 2 | Yancheng NNR | 5 | Namyang Man | |
| 3 | Huang He NNR | 6 | Asan Man | |
| 7 | Mangyeung Gang Hagu | |||
| 8 | Dongjin Gang Hagu | |||
| 9 | Suncheon Man |
 |
Site | Country | Count | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namyang Man | South Korea | 57 | 1 | |
| 2 | Yancheng NNR | China | 35 | 2 | |
| 3 | Dong Sha | China | 16 | 3 | |
| 4 | Asan Man | South Korea | 12 | 1 | |
 |
Site | Country | Count | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dongjin Gang Hagu | South Korea | 59 | 4 | |
| 2 | Mangyeung Gang Hagu | South Korea | 52 | 1 | |
| 3 | Ganghwa Do | South Korea | 40 | 1 | |
| 4 | Namyang Man | South Korea | 28 | 1 | |
| 5 | Suncheon Man | South Korea | 22 | 5 | |
| 6 | Huang He NNR | China | 11 | 6 |
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