The genus Icthyophaga (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously spelled Ichthyophaga.

Icthyophaga humilis is listed as Near Threatened. There is little known about the population size of this species, but the loss of riverine forests and the cumulative impacts of overfishing and pollution have led to ongoing declines in the population. Although the species has shown some ability to adapt to alternative and sub-optimal habitat in southern India and Indonesia, the population is suspected to have undergone a reduction of 20-29%.

I. humilis occurs in the Himalayan foothills, and the western and south-eastern Ghats, India (Lethaby 2005, Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001, Karuthedathu 2023), Nepal, Bhutan (Rasmussen and Anderton 2012, Karuthedathu 2023), Thailand, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Viet Nam, Cambodia (Fuchs et al. 2007, Goes 2013, Treesucon and Limparungpatthanakij 2018, CBGA 2019, Karuthedathu 2023), Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi including Peleng, Taliabu, Buru (Eaton et al. 2021), and Manui Islands (Monkhouse et al. 2018), Indonesia, and Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsula Malaysia (Puan et al. 2020, Karuthedathu 2023), as well as a winter visitor to Hainan, China (MacKinnon and Phillipps 2000, Shing et al. 2007).

The global population size of Icthyophaga humilis is unknown. In optimal habitat, one pair may occupy every 3-5 km of fast flowing river, however the species is thought to be declining across its contracting range (Praveen 2011, Karuthedathu 2023). The species is considered rare and local in Nepal, Bhutan, and across the Indian Subcontinent (Rasmussen and Anderton 2012, Karuthedathu 2023). It is scarce and localised in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR (Fuchs et al. 2007, Goes 2013, Treesucon and Limparungpatthanakij 2018, CBGA 2019, Karuthedathu 2023). In Cambodia, five different breeding pairs were recorded along the Mekong in in Northern Kratie region in 2007 (Bezuijen et al. 2008), but none were seen along when the same region was revisited in 2018 (Mittermeier et al. 2019), suggesting a decline in the Mekong river population. The species is highly localised in Lao PDR, but it may represent one of the most significant populations in South-East Asia, with an estimated 20 pairs within Phou Den National Protected Area alone (Fuchs et al. 2007). However, the species reportedly occurs in higher abundance in the Hakaung Valley in northern Myanmar (Fuchs et al. 2007). In Myanmar, the population is still considered unlikely to exceed 1,000 birds due to the continued impacts of deforestation, and other human impacts (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001), although this may be pessimistic. The species occurs in Hainan, but is naturally very rare and is potentially only a winter visitor (MacKinnon and Phillipps 2000, Shing et al. 2007 Lewthwaite et al. 2021). Overall, the Indochinese population is thought to only be in the low hundreds due to the paucity of suitable forested river systems (Bezuijen et al. 2008). There is little known about the distribution and population in Malaysia and Indonesia, but it similarly appears to be uncommon and localised (Mann 2008, Puan et al. 2020, Eaton et al. 2021, eBird 2024). It is reportedly scarce in Peninsular Malaysia, uncommon in Sumatra and Borneo, and uncommon to rare on Sulawesi (Karuthedathu 2023).

The population is undoubtedly restricted despite the wide range of the species. However, there is insufficient information on the population size across much of the species' range. Therefore, it is not possible to provide an estimate of the population size.

I. humilis is dependent on forest-fringed waterbodies with good supplies of fish, typically clear forested hill streams and fast-flowing rivers in lowlands and foothills from sea-level to 1,000 m (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001, Karuthedathu 2023). More occasionally, the species occurs around forested lakes and swamps, and will rarely frequent estuaries (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001, Karuthedathu 2023). The species does show geographical variation in its habitat, regularly recorded to 1,500m, more locally to 2,500 and as high as 4,250m in Nepal (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). In Sulawesi however, the species will occur near sea-level, and is found in swamps, mangroves, logged forests and oil palm plantations (Sheldon et al. 2001). The species has also adapted to dammed rivers in southern India (Praveen 2011). During the non-breeding season, the species appears to wander more widely, travelling to well-watered areas such as lakes and dams in the Indian plains (Naoroji 2007), and Hanoi (MacKinnon and Phillipps 2000, Shing et al. 2007).

I. humilis is primarily threatened from habitat loss and degradation, and other human induced pressures. The loss and degradation of habitat from selective logging, agriculture, roads and development has led to the decline of the species across most of its range (Thewlis et al. 1998, Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001, Mittermeier et al. 2019). With the historical preferential settlement of rivers and wetlands resulting in the widespread loss of suitable forested river habitats (Thewlis et al. 1998), the species is considered globally and regionally scarce, and at increased risk from local extinctions due to the isolated and disjunct nature of the population (Duckworth et al. 1999, Fuchs et al. 2007, Bezuijen et al. 2008). The majority of forest loss for this species has occurred in the Sundaic region (Symes et al. 2018, Global Forest Watch 2024), where habitat loss is primarily driven by the conversion of lowland forests into oil-palm and rubber plantations (Descals et al. 2021, Wang et al. 2023). In Lao PDR, habitat loss is exacerbated by habitat clearing for hydroelectric power and particularly gold mining. Even within Dong Ampham, a protected area in eastern Laos where the species has previously been recorded (Davidson et al. 1997), these activities have led to the continual deterioration and loss of habitat (Berryman 2023).

Cumulative impacts to the population come in the form pollution, particularly the use of the pesticides which are implicated in nesting failures in northern India (Poole 1995, Naoroji 2007, Bezuijen et al. 2008), and overfishing which can reduce food availability (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001, BCN and DNPWC 2011, BirdLife International 2024).

The species is also targeted to some extent for hunting and/or trade in Indonesia, with two reported incidents in Sulawesi and Borneo, respectively (TRAFFIC 2024), and hunting/trapping may represent a local threat in Cambodia and Lao PDR (Goes 2013 Fuchs et al. 2007, Mittermeier et al. 2019).

There is very little information about the trade and use of I. humilis. The collection of chicks and eggs, and the killing of adults represent localised threats in Cambodia (Mittermeier et al. 2019) and Lao PDR (Fuchs et al. 2007), but the species is not known to be specifically targeted. The species is targeted to some extent in Indonesia, with one poached bird posted on Facebook originating from Sulawesi and one individual seized from a residence in west Kalimantan (TRAFFIC 2024).

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix II.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Surveys required to determine the population size and number of subpopulations. Monitoring/research required to determine population trends, and particularly the impact of human activities on the population, i.e., pesticide use, hunting, overfishing, and general disturbance.