นิเวศวิทยาการผสมพันธุ์ ลักษณะถิ่นที่อยู่อาศัย และแผนการอนุรักษ์นกไต่ไม้ใหญ่ (Sitta magna) ชนิดพันธุ์ที่ใกล้สูญพันธุ์ระดับโลก

The Giant Nuthatch (Sitta magna), a bird in the family Sittidae, is restricted to southwestern China, eastern Myanmar, and northern Thailand and is now globally endangered with a total population estimated at <2500 individuals. The global threat status of Giant Nuthatch was uplisted from vulnerable to endangered in 2012 (BirdLife International, 2016) due primarily to the loss and degradation of pine and mixed forest habitats through shifting cultivation and logging. Giant Nuthatch, although globally endangered, most aspects of its ecology has received little attention and remain unquantified. Lack of quantitative data becomes a central issue for the conservation of this endangered species. Therefore, conducting this project will be an excellent opportunity to engage in conservation work that will likely directly benefit a globally endangered species.

Recent quantitative work in Thailand has revealed that the population of Giant Nuthatch in Thailand was approximately 588 individuals (range from 398 to 870 individuals) in only 159 km² of suitable habitat. Giant Nuthatch preferred drier forest with a large proportion of mature native pine or pine plantation and with a larger basal area and a more open canopy (Khamcha et al. in review). Thailand has developed the first quantitative baseline data for the species, a critical first step for effective conservation, however additional studies on the reproduction and the survival of giant nuthatch are now needed to focus specific management action. Specifically, we lack data in key habitats, pine plantations and mature pine forest, to understand/estimate the capacity of these remaining habitats to support viable populations. In addition, we need greater quantification of available habitat in Myanmar and China, which comprise more than 80% of the Giant Nuthatch’s global range, but for which no quantitative data are available.

This project will provide quantitative baseline data on breeding ecology and clarify the characteristics of breeding habitat of the Giant Nuthatch as well as provide detailed demographic study of giant nuthatch associated with pine plantations, which is important for effective long-term management. We will provide quantitative data and clear recommendations to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) (the organization directly responsible for conservation and management of wildlife and habitats in Thailand) to: 1) increase information regarding threatened species management that they can apply to Giant Nuthatch and perhaps other threatened species and 2) improved policy for Giant Nuthatch that will allow for better management and reduce the likelihood that the Thai population will go extinct  Finally, we will develop contacts and collaborations with researchers from Myanmar and China to plan/develop a global scale assessment of the Giant Nuthatch population.