Justification of Red List category
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Population justification
The global population is inferred to number 34 million mature individuals (Partners in Flight 2019).
Trend justification
The species has been undergoing a large decline at an average rate of 2.5% per year between 1970 and 2017 (Partners in Flight 2019). Declines appear to be slowing down however; in North America, which holds almost the entire global population, the species declined by 23% over the past ten years (Pardieck et al. 2018). Furthermore, the future half-life of the species is estimated at 51 years (Partners in Flight 2019), which would equate to a decline of 13% over the next ten years. Data from the Christmas Bird Count report a much lower rate of decline of -0.32% per year (Meehan et al. 2018), equating to 3% over ten years. In view of this uncertaintly, the species is tentatively assessed as declining at a rate not approaching the threshold for Vulnerable over the relevant three generation period for this assessment.
Ammodramus savannarum is a mainly Neotropical species occurring in Canada, U.S.A., Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Bahamas, Cuba, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico (to U.S.A.), the Netherlands Antilles, Colombia and Ecuador (del Hoyo et al. 2011). The subspecies beatriceae, of central Panama, has not been recorded since 1962 despite searches in the late 1990s, and is likely to be extinct (G. Angehr in litt. 2011).
Text account compilers
Hermes, C.
Contributors
Angehr, G., Butchart, S., Ekstrom, J. & Khwaja, N.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/grasshopper-sparrow-ammodramus-savannarum on 23/11/2024.
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 23/11/2024.