Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
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.
Turbott, E.G. 1990. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand. Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Wellington.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | A2bcd+4bcd | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Endangered | A2bcd+4bcd |
| 2016 | Endangered | A2bc+3bc+4bc |
| 2015 | Endangered | A2bc+3bc+4bc |
| 2012 | Vulnerable | A4bcd |
| 2010 | Vulnerable | A4b,c,d |
| 2009 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Least Concern | |
| 2004 | Least Concern | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Near Threatened | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Near Threatened | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | low |
| Land-mass type |
continent |
Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 5,590,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 48,500,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 20000-35000, 21000-28000 mature individuals | good | estimated | 2016 |
| Population trend | decreasing | medium | estimated | 2005-2030 |
| Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 50-79% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 20-40% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 50-79% | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 8.4 years | - | - | - |
| Number of subpopulations | 1 | - | - | - |
| Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation | 100% | - | - | - |
Population justification: Attempts to be estimate the population size of this species have generally been consistent. Wetlands International (2015) estimated 32,000 birds, while Bamford et al. (2008) estimated 38,000. Using two different methods, Hansen et al. (2022) got ostensibly similar results. Using a method of spatial extrapolation (SE) on non-breeding range count data, the latter authors calculated 33,840 birds; however, not all of these will be mature birds capable of breeding. In another method, Hansen et al. (2022) combined the species' breeding range and density (BRD) to calculate a population size of 34,862, all of which are likely to be breeding individuals. The authors concluded a rounded population estimate of 35,000, accepting a preference for the data derived from the SE method. If 0.6-0.8 of birds in this estimate were mature, this would suggest a population size of c.21,000-28,000 mature individuals, significantly below the number calculated using the BRD method (c.35,000 mature individuals). To account for uncertainty, the global population size is set to 20,000-35,000, with a best estimate of 21,000-28,000.
Trend justification: Multiple lines of evidence point to rapid declines in this species over the past three generations. Most recently, Rogers et al. (2023) compiled wintering data from 448 sites across Australia—where a majority of the species' global population winters—and determined a statistically significant decline of 63% (52−73; 95% CI). This is similar to earlier published data from Australia (and New Zealand), which estimated three-generation declines of 58% (48−70%; Clemens et al. 2016), 82% (74−87%; Studds et al. 2017), 73% (63−89%; 67 sites; Clemens et al. 2019; Waterbird meta-analysis), 52% (95% decline to 215% increase; Clemens et al. 2019; GAMS to three generations). Based on the data published before them, Lilleyman et al. (2021) concluded overall declines of 50-79% over the previous three generations, and the same rates of decline to continue into the future. With the addition of Rogers et al. (2023), the same conclusion over past declines is reached here. However, Rogers et al. (2023) shows a slowing population decline: annual rates of decline 1993−2012, 5.51% vs 2012−2021, 1.46%. Accordingly future rates of decline are suspected to be slower, estimated here at 20−40% over three generations (with the midpoint 30% being approximately the rate of global decline if an annual decline rate of 1.46% is sustained for the next three generations).
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Brunei | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Cambodia | extant | native | yes | |||
| China (mainland) | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Christmas Island (to Australia) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Hong Kong (China) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Indonesia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Japan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Laos | extant | native | yes | |||
| Macao (China) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Malaysia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Micronesia, Federated States of | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mongolia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Myanmar | extant | native | yes | |||
| New Caledonia (to France) | extant | native | yes | |||
| New Zealand | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Norfolk Island (to Australia) | extant | native | yes | |||
| North Korea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Palau | extant | native | yes | |||
| Papua New Guinea | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Philippines | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia (Asian) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Singapore | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Solomon Islands | extant | native | yes | |||
| South Korea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Taiwan, China | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Thailand | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Timor-Leste | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Vanuatu | extant | native | yes | |||
| Vietnam | extant | native | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest | Boreal | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Mud Flats and Salt Flats | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | major | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | major | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Altitude | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Agro-industry farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Agriculture & aquaculture | Marine & freshwater aquaculture - Industrial aquaculture | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Agriculture & aquaculture | Marine & freshwater aquaculture - Subsistence/artisinal aquaculture | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Unintentional effects (species is not the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Whole (>90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Energy production & mining | Oil & gas drilling | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Spartina alterniflora | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Rapid Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents - Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Rapid Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Rapid Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Food - human | subsistence, national |
| Sport hunting/specimen collecting | subsistence, national |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/far-eastern-curlew-numenius-madagascariensis 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.