Status
This species is considered endangered by the IUCN. Its numbers declined in the 1960s and 1970s due to loss of primary forests in its limited range, particularly along the major rivers. Current threats include illegal hunting, entanglement in fishing nets and river pollution, as well as ongoing destruction of forest. According to its current IUCN classification EN C2a(ii), fewer than 2500 adult birds remain, and most of these are found in the region where the borders of China, North Korea and Russia meet.
A confounding factor is that the Scaly-sided Merganser is rather solitary and extremely shy and alert. Thus, even though its range is still quite extensive, an accurate estimate of its population is difficult. A somewhat crude but nonetheless important indication of the Scaly-sided Merganser's population status may be gleaned by annual censuses on the lower Yangtze River, which constitutes the single most important wintering area known to date. The mid-2000s assumption of a 20% or more decline in numbers til 2010 is discarded at present, because though the decline is certainly ongoing there is still too little data to quantify it that accurately.
Read more about this topic: Scaly-sided Merganser
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