Should Blue-billed Duck be listed as at least Near Threatened?

The above issue is one of the questions being posed on the BirdLife International's Globally Threatened Bird Forum. 

On this forum Lawrie Conole highlights the number of Blue-billed Duck currently (or at least in late 2002) at Werribee.  He also suggests that having 10 000 Blue-billed Duck (greater than the current population estimate for eastern Australia) all at one location is dreadful risk management by the taxon in question.

A very good point of course - all your eggs in one basket and all that.  What are the risks for these Blue-billed Duck?  A huge hailstorm perhaps?  Thinking more laterally however, is there any risk of the ducks picking something up from this water (partially or completely treated as the case might be) that might have an adverse impact on the population?  I guess the potential for something being passed from primates to ducks is pretty remote but is it possible?  Sewage treatment plants are great places to see ducks but are they great places for ducks?

Personally I have no idea.  Anyone out there have any expertise in this area?

Cheers 

David

David Geering
Threatened Species Unit
NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 2111
Dubbo  NSW  2830
Ph: 02 6883 5335 or Freecall 1800 621 056
Fax: 02 6884 9382



This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain
confidential information. 

If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. Views expressed in this message may be those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.