Radjah Shelduck (Rajah rajah) Fact Sheet: Population & Conservation Status

Population estimates

• Radjah radjah
  • 20,000-200,000 individuals (Birdlife International 2024, using data from Wetlands International 2024)
    • About 13,300-133,000 mature individuals (Birdlife International 2024)
  • Subspecies estimates tentative; see Carboneras and Kirwan (2018) for discussion
• Distribution-wide, considered fairly uncommon (Carboneras and Kirwan 2018)
  • May be locally common (e.g., lowland wetlands) (Callaghan and Green 1993; Pratt and Beehler 2014)
  • Said to be “fairly numerous” on some Maluku (Moluccas) Islands (British Ornithologists’ Union 1986; Carboneras and Kirwan 2018)

Population trend

• Decreasing (Birdlife International 2024)
  • Local declines in areas of human settlement, agriculture, mining, or road construction (Frith 1967)

Population structure

• Presumed limited genetic exchange across the Torres Strait (Garnett and Crowley 2000)

IUCN Status

• Least Concern (2024 assessment) (Birdlife International 2024)
  • Large geographic range

CITES Status

• Not listed (UNEP 2018)

Government laws and regulations

• Protected in Australia (Department of the Environment 2018)
  • Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999

Overhunting

(Carboneras and Kirwan 2018)

• Considered easy to shoot (Carboneras and Kirwan 2018)
• Rare or absent in areas where historically common (Frith 1967; Johnsgard 2010a)
  • See “Historical distribution” in Distribution
  • See “Culture and folklore” in Cultural History

Loss of habitat

• Local populations decrease where human settlement, agriculture, mining, and road construction occur (Frith 1967)
• Rice cultivation in Northern Territory may be a major threat (Carboneras and Kirwan 2018)

Population monitoring

• Abundance counts on major wetlands (Garnett and Crowley 2000)

Radjah Shelducks are considered fairly uncommon in the wild.

While some wild populations are stable, others are in decline due to land development and mining.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.