• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	C2a(i)

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2023	Vulnerable	C2a(i)
2016	Vulnerable	C2a(i)
2012	Vulnerable	C2a(i)
2008	Vulnerable	C2a(i)
2006	Vulnerable
2004	Vulnerable
2000	Lower Risk/Near Threatened
1996	Vulnerable
1994	Vulnerable
1988	Threatened

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	low
Land-mass type	shelf island	Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	352,000 km2	medium
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	1800-2300 mature individuals	medium	estimated	2007
Population trend	decreasing	poor	inferred	-
Generation length	3.59 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	2	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	1-89%	-	-	-

Population justification: Surveys confirmed the presence of 15 breeding sites across Madagascar, including Tsimanampesotse National Park, where 60-100 pairs bred at each year between 2005 and 2007 (S. Zefania, T. Szekely and P. Long in litt. 2007), and 24 nests in Marambitsy Bay between 2002-2005 (Zefania et al. 2008), although no birds were recorded at this site in 2022 (R. Rabarisoa in litt. 2023). Data collected between 2009 and 2023 have shown an average of 50-100 pairs per year at Andavadoaka (S. Zefania in litt. 2023). Individuals have also been recorded in the Tsiribihina estuary and in the mudflats at Bemoramba in Maintiramo (ZICOMA 1998). More recently, between 2006 and 2017, the population in the Mahavavy Delta decreased from 74 to 64 individuals, and from 281 to 28 individuals in the Mangoky River estuary between 2009 and 2020 (Rabarisoa in litt. 2023). 

The species' total population was estimated to number 750-6,000 individuals (F. Hawkins in litt. to Wetlands International 2002), however this was not based on systematic surveys (T. Dodman in litt. 2006). The population was then estimated at 3,100 ± 396 (SE) individuals (Long et al. 2008) through the modelling of observed densities at suitable sites across an estimate of the total area of habitat above a defined suitability threshold (Zefania et al. 2005, Long et al. 2006). The standard error range is rounded to the nearest 100 and used as the population range estimate: 2,700-3,500 individuals, roughly equivalent to 1,800-2,300 mature individuals. However, as the species has been experiencing an ongoing decline, the population is now likely to be lower than the estimate made in 2007.

Trend justification: In Andavadoaka, this species exhibits low productivity and inflexible breeding behaviour (S. Zefania et al. in litt. 2007), with reduced breeding success being due to high levels of predation, which could be driving local declines (S. Zefania in litt. 2023). It is suspected that these threats could cause overall declines in the species' population in the future, which may already be declining (S. Zefania in litt. 2023), however, more fieldwork in needed to confirm these suspicions. In other sites, such as the Mahavavy Delta, Marambitsy Bay and the Mangoky River estuary, regular species counts are demonstrating a decline in the population size (R. Rabarisoa in litt. 2023): in the Mahavavy Delta, the population decreased from 74 to 64 individuals between 2006 and 2017; in the Mangoky River estuary the population declined from from 281 to 28 individuals between 2009 and 2020 (R. Rabarisoa in litt. 2023), and 24 nests were counted in Marambitsy Bay between 2002-2005 (Zefania et al. 2008), and 64 individuals were recorded in 2021, but no birds were recorded at this site in 2022 (R. Rabarisoa in litt. 2023). There is no data suggesting compensatory increases in population elsewhere (which could otherwise indicate movement of the species to other sites), although there is insufficient data to quantify the rate of decline. The species is therefore considered to be experiencing a continuing decline.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Madagascar	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
Madagascar	Baly Bay National Park
Madagascar	Bemamba Wetland Complex
Madagascar	Lake Ihotry - Mangoky Delta Complex NPA
Madagascar	Manambolomaty wetland complex and Tsimembo Classified Forest
Madagascar	Nosy Manitse Future SAPM Marine and surrounding wetlands
Madagascar	Tambohorano Wetland NPA
Madagascar	Tsimanampetsotsa National Park
Madagascar	Wetlands of the Tsiribihina delta and upper Tsiribihina river

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Forest	Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level	suitable	resident
Grassland	Subtropical/Tropical Dry	major	breeding
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes	major	resident
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	Coastal Sand Dunes	suitable	resident
Marine Intertidal	Mud Flats and Salt Flats	major	resident
Marine Intertidal	Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses)	suitable	resident
Marine Intertidal	Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc	suitable	non-breeding
Altitude	0 - 28 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching - Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Species disturbance, Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality
Agriculture & aquaculture	Marine & freshwater aquaculture - Subsistence/artisinal aquaculture	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use	Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Unspecified species	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Unknown		Slow, Significant Declines		Unknown
		Stresses Species disturbance, Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic native species/diseases	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Unknown		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Competition
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic native species/diseases - Unspecified species	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Species disturbance, Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality

Purpose	Scale
Food - human	subsistence, national
Sport hunting/specimen collecting	subsistence, national

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Black-banded Plover Charadrius thoracicus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/black-banded-plover-charadrius-thoracicus on 23/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/12/2024.