VU
Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
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.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.
Turbott, E.G. 1990. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand. Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Wellington.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - A2bcd+4bcd

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2024 Vulnerable A2bcd+4bcd
2019 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2011 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status full migrant Forest dependency does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 19,000,000 km2 medium
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 290,000,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 1000000-2500000 mature individuals poor estimated 2023
Population trend decreasing - estimated 2005-2028
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 30-49% - - -
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 30-49% - - -
Generation length 7.55 years - - -
Number of subpopulations 1-3 - - -

Population justification: Spans all major flyways with a vast breeding range that covers much of Arctic Russia and the Nearctic.
Breeding populations in western Siberia winter in Western Europe and West Africa where estimated to number c.200,000 (von Roomen et al. 2014, Nagy and Langendoen 2020). Numbers wintering in south-west Asia and eastern Africa less certain, but suspected to be c.90,000 (Wetlands International 2012). An additional 30,000 suspected to winter in South Asia (Wetlands International 2012). Numbers in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway estimated at c.80,000 in 2016 (Hansen et al. 2023). The total number breeding in Siberia is therefore estimated to be c.240,000-280,000, assuming not all of the estimates discussed previously, which are made from non-breeding areas, refer to mature individuals (which are assumed to make up 60-70% of the population).

Larger numbers breed in the Nearctic. Andres et al. (2012) previously estimated 262,700 across Alaska and Arctic Canada, however this noted that the estimate would increase as the PRISM surveys were incomplete. A draft status review of shorebirds reports a final PRISM estimate of at least 1 million birds, based on c.725,000 (353,000-1,100,000) in Arctic Canada (Bart et al. in prep.) and an additional c.260,000 from Alaska, but the latter covers only a proportion of the species' Alaskan breeding range, and the number in Alaska may be closer to that from Arctic Canada. Accordingly, the number of birds in the Nearctic is estimated at c.1,000,000-2,000,000, most of which are probably mature individuals given they are from breeding season surveys.

Combining estimates yields a total population of c.1,250,000-2,250,000 mature individuals. The total population estimate used here is a broader bracket of 1,000,000-2,500,000 mature individuals, acknowledging that there are several elements of uncertainty, including the extent to which populations have declined since population estimates were made, and the possibility that the Siberian population may be underestimated.

Trend justification: By far the greatest populations of this species are in the Americas (potentially up to c.90%), where trends from Smith et al. (2023) indicate a rapid reduction between 1980 and 2019, equivalent to 47.6% (21.9-65.7) over three generations (23 years), a trend also reflected by Partners in Flight (2021) who report a decline of c.30% (6.6-53.2%) over the most recent three generations. eBird data report declines of 14% (8.3-18.4) between 2011 and 2021 (Fink et al. 2023), a rate equivalent to c.30% (19-42) over three generations. In Tomales Bay (California, USA), there has been an 81% decrease over the past 30 years, but trends are apparently stable in Oregon and Washington, and increasing in British Columbia (N. Warnock in litt. 2024), suggesting great variation in local trends.

In other flyways, data are somewhat similar. In the East Asian-Australasian Flyway,  Rogers et al. (2023) report declines of 36.7% in the three generations to 2021 in Australia (note this figure is based on a revised generation length not used by Rogers et al.), although this was not statistically significant. In Myanmar, the species has declined at several wintering grounds (Aung et al. 2023). From Western Europe and West Africa, Nagy and Langendoen (2020) report declines of 35% over three generations based on data from between 2008 and 2016, and declines of 52% from south-west Asia, East and southern Africa based on data from between 2008 and 2017. Additional data from the East Atlantic Flyways assessment (van Roomen et al. 2022) shows an increasing trend when data from the 1980s are compared, but a steady decline (0.973) from c.2008. Trends based on reporting rate of complete eBird checklists in India similarly show rapid declines (albeit with large confidence margins) in the most recent years when the underlying data are most robust, equivalent to an annual rate of decline of 1.38-5.35% between 2015 and 2022 (SoIB 2023). Data reported by Lagendoen et al. (2021) from the East Asian-Australasian Flyway report a highly highly mixed picture, with rapid declines estimated for Australia (thus congruent with Rogers et al. 2023), but an overall stable trend for the Flyway, mostly because of increases in China, Japan and Viet Nam (although in all these countries this may to some extent be because of increased observer effort).
Data from the species' breeding grounds is almost wholly lacking, but it has reportedly disappeared from the Chaun delta, Chukotka, Russia, with no breeding record since 2011 (D. Solovyeva in litt. 2024).

Uncertainty is presented in all the above data by the fact that some data sources require extrapolation into the most recent years (particularly data from Nagy and Langendoen 2020), and the fact that an amalgamation of them to calculate a global trend requires weighting trends depending on the proportion of the global population they are thought to represent (for which there is considerable uncertainty). Nonetheless, the congruence of data suggests that the species is highly likely to have declined rapidly over the past three generations, set here to 30-49%. Given this species' long generation length and uncertainty over the key mechanisms driving declines, the rate of decline over the next three generations is not set but there are some indications that in some flyways rates of population decline may be slowing (e.g. Rogers et al. 2023).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Afghanistan extant native yes
Albania extant native yes yes
Algeria extant native yes yes
Angola extant native yes yes
Anguilla (to UK) extant native yes yes
Antigua and Barbuda extant native yes yes
Argentina extant native yes yes
Armenia extant native yes
Aruba (to Netherlands) extant native yes yes
Australia extant native yes yes
Austria extant native yes
Azerbaijan extant native yes yes
Bahamas extant native yes yes
Bahrain extant native yes yes
Bangladesh extant native yes yes
Barbados extant native yes yes
Belarus extant native yes
Belgium extant native yes yes
Belize extant native yes yes
Benin extant native yes yes
Bermuda (to UK) extant native yes yes
Bolivia extant native yes
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) extant native yes yes
Bosnia and Herzegovina extant native yes yes
Botswana extant native yes
Brazil extant native yes yes
British Indian Ocean Territory extant native yes yes
Brunei extant native yes yes
Bulgaria extant native yes yes
Burundi extant native yes
Cambodia extant native yes yes
Cameroon extant native yes yes
Canada extant native yes yes yes
Cape Verde extant native yes yes
Cayman Islands (to UK) extant native yes yes
Chad extant native yes
Chile extant native yes yes
China (mainland) extant native yes yes
Christmas Island (to Australia) extant native yes yes
Colombia extant native yes yes
Comoros extant native yes yes
Congo extant native yes yes
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the extant native yes yes
Cook Islands extant native yes
Costa Rica extant native yes yes
Côte d'Ivoire extant native yes yes
Croatia extant native yes yes
Cuba extant native yes yes
Curaçao (to Netherlands) extant native yes yes
Cyprus extant native yes yes
Czechia extant native yes
Denmark extant native yes yes
Djibouti extant native yes yes
Dominica extant native yes yes
Dominican Republic extant native yes yes
Ecuador extant native yes yes
Egypt extant native yes yes
El Salvador extant native yes yes
Equatorial Guinea extant native yes yes
Eritrea extant native yes yes
Estonia extant native yes
Eswatini extant native yes
Ethiopia extant native yes
Faroe Islands (to Denmark) extant native yes
Fiji extant native yes
Finland extant native yes
France extant native yes yes
French Guiana extant native yes yes
French Southern Territories extant native yes yes
Gabon extant native yes yes
Gambia extant native yes yes
Georgia extant native yes yes
Germany extant native yes yes
Ghana extant native yes yes
Gibraltar (to UK) extant native yes yes
Greece extant native yes yes
Greenland (to Denmark) extant native yes
Grenada extant native yes yes
Guadeloupe (to France) extant native yes yes
Guam (to USA) extant native yes yes
Guatemala extant native yes yes
Guinea extant native yes yes
Guinea-Bissau extant native yes yes
Guyana extant native yes yes
Haiti extant native yes yes
Honduras extant native yes yes
Hong Kong (China) extant native yes yes
Hungary extant native yes
Iceland extant native yes
India extant native yes yes
Indonesia extant native yes yes
Iran, Islamic Republic of extant native yes yes
Iraq extant native yes yes
Ireland extant native yes yes
Israel extant native yes yes
Italy extant native yes yes
Jamaica extant native yes yes
Japan extant native yes yes
Jordan extant native yes yes
Kazakhstan extant native yes
Kenya extant native yes yes
Kuwait extant native yes yes
Kyrgyzstan extant native yes
Laos extant native yes
Latvia extant native yes
Lebanon extant native yes yes
Lesotho extant native yes
Liberia extant native yes yes
Libya extant native yes yes
Luxembourg extant native yes
Madagascar extant native yes yes
Malawi extant native yes
Malaysia extant native yes yes
Maldives extant native yes yes
Mali extant native yes
Malta extant native yes yes
Marshall Islands extant native yes
Martinique (to France) extant native yes yes
Mauritania extant native yes yes
Mauritius extant native yes yes
Mayotte (to France) extant native yes yes
Mexico extant native yes yes
Micronesia, Federated States of extant native yes
Monaco extant native yes yes
Mongolia extant native yes
Montenegro extant native yes yes
Montserrat (to UK) extant native yes yes
Morocco extant native yes yes
Mozambique extant native yes yes
Myanmar extant native yes yes
Namibia extant native yes yes
Nauru extant native yes
Nepal extant native yes
Netherlands extant native yes yes
New Caledonia (to France) extant native yes yes
Nicaragua extant native yes yes
Niger extant native yes
Nigeria extant native yes yes
North Korea extant native yes yes
North Macedonia extant native yes
Northern Mariana Islands (to USA) extant native yes yes
Norway extant native yes
Oman extant native yes yes
Pakistan extant native yes yes
Palau extant native yes yes
Palestine extant native yes yes
Panama extant native yes yes
Papua New Guinea extant native yes yes
Paraguay extant native yes
Peru extant native yes yes
Philippines extant native yes yes
Poland extant native yes
Portugal extant native yes yes
Puerto Rico (to USA) extant native yes yes
Qatar extant native yes yes
Réunion (to France) extant native yes yes
Romania extant native yes yes
Russia extant native yes yes
Russia (Asian) extant native yes yes
Russia (Central Asian) extant native yes yes
Russia (European) extant native yes yes
Rwanda extant native yes
São Tomé e Príncipe extant native yes yes
Saudi Arabia extant native yes yes
Senegal extant native yes yes
Serbia extant native yes
Seychelles extant native yes yes
Sierra Leone extant native yes yes
Singapore extant native yes yes
Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) extant native yes yes
Slovakia extant native yes
Slovenia extant native yes yes
Solomon Islands extant native yes yes
Somalia extant native yes yes
South Africa extant native yes yes
South Korea extant native yes yes
South Sudan extant native yes
Spain extant native yes yes
Sri Lanka extant native yes yes
St Barthelemy (to France) extant native yes yes
St Helena (to UK) extant native yes
St Kitts and Nevis extant native yes yes
St Lucia extant native yes yes
St Martin (to France) extant native yes yes
St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) extant native yes
St Vincent and the Grenadines extant native yes yes
Sudan extant native yes yes
Suriname extant native yes yes
Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) extant vagrant
Sweden extant native yes
Switzerland extant native yes
Syria extant native yes yes
Taiwan, China extant native yes yes
Tajikistan extant native yes
Tanzania extant native yes yes
Thailand extant native yes yes
Timor-Leste extant native yes yes
Togo extant native yes yes
Trinidad and Tobago extant native yes yes
Tunisia extant native yes yes
Türkiye extant native yes yes
Turkmenistan extant native yes yes
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) extant native yes yes
Uganda extant native yes
Ukraine extant native yes
United Arab Emirates extant native yes yes
United Kingdom extant native yes yes
Uruguay extant native yes yes
USA extant native yes yes yes
Venezuela extant native yes yes
Vietnam extant native yes yes
Virgin Islands (to UK) extant native yes yes
Virgin Islands (to USA) extant native yes yes
Western Sahara extant native yes yes
Yemen extant native yes yes
Zambia extant native yes
Zimbabwe extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Bahrain Tubli Bay
Brazil Reentrâncias Maranhenses / Paraenses
Canada Barre de Portneuf
Canada Beaverhill Lake
Canada Foxe Basin Islands
Canada Île Rouge
Canada Marais de Gros-Cacouna
Canada Marais de Pointe-au-Père
Canada Southern Bight, Minas Basin
China (mainland) Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve
China (mainland) Laizhou Wan
China (mainland) Shuangtai (Shuangtaizi) Estuary and Inner Gulf of Liaodong
China (mainland) Yalu Jiang Estuary
Costa Rica Nicoya Gulf mangroves and coastal areas
Denmark Fanø
Denmark Vadehavet (Wadden Sea)
France Anse du Fiers d'Ars en Ré
France Baie de Bourgneuf et marais breton
France Baie du Mont Saint Michel et Ile des Landes
France Bassin d'Arcachon et Banc d'Arguin
France Cap Gris-nez
France Estuaires picards : baies de Somme et d'Authie
France Golfe du Morbihan et Etier de Penerf
France Ile d'Oléron, marais de Brouage-Saint-Agnant
France Marais poitevin et baie de l'Aiguillon
French Guiana Amana
French Guiana Ile de Cayenne
French Guiana Littoral
French Guiana Littoral Kourou
French Guiana Littoral Macouria
French Guiana Littoral Sinnamary
French Guiana Plaine Kaw et Pointe Béhague
Gabon Akanda
Germany Coast and lagoons of Western Pomerania
Germany Dollart
Germany Elbe marshes between Stade and Otterndorf
Germany Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park
Germany Rysumer Nacken
Germany Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park (includes the Halligs, Kniepsand/Amrum, Lister Koog, Rantumbecken, Rickelsb
Guinea-Bissau Arquipélago dos Bijagós
Guinea-Bissau Rio Mansôa and Gêba estuary
Guinea-Bissau Rio Tombali, Rio Cumbijã and Ilha de Melo
Hong Kong (China) Inner Deep Bay and Shenzhen River catchment area
Iran, Islamic Republic of Miankaleh Peninsula and Gorgan Bay
Japan Inner Ariake bay
Japan Inner Tokyo bay
Mauritania Banc d'Arguin National Park
Mexico Complejo Lagunar Ojo de Liebre
Morocco Baie d'Ad Dakhla
Morocco Lagune de Khnifiss
Morocco Merja Zerga
Mozambique Greater Bazaruto
Namibia Walvis Bay
Netherlands Oosterschelde
Netherlands Wadden Coast
Netherlands Wadden Sea
Netherlands Westerschelde & Saeftinghe
Oman Barr al Hikman
Oman Masirah island
Panama Upper Bay of Panamá
Portugal Ria Formosa (Faro lagoon)
Portugal Tejo estuary
Russia (Asian) Cape Billings
Russia (Asian) Chaun delta
Russia (Asian) Gusikha river basin and lower Balakhnya river
Russia (Asian) Kolyma delta
Russia (Asian) Lower Anadyr lowlands
Russia (Asian) Lower Nizhnyaya Taymyra river
Russia (Asian) Preobrazheniya island
Russia (Asian) West Chaun plain
Russia (Asian) Wrangel and Herald Islands
Russia (Central Asian) Lower Yuribey
Russia (Central Asian) Upper and Middle Yuribey
Russia (European) Seskar island
Saudi Arabia Jizan Bay
Saudi Arabia Tarut Bay
South Africa West Coast National Park and Saldanha Bay islands
South Korea Asan Bay (including Asan-ho lake and Sapgyo-ho lake)
South Korea Dongjin estuary
South Korea Geum-gang river and estuary
South Korea Mangyeong estuary
South Korea Nakdong-gang estuary
South Korea Namyang Bay
South Korea Tidal flat area of Yeongjong-do island
South Korea Yubu-do island
Tunisia Îles Kneiss
Tunisia Sebkhet Dreiaâ
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) North, Middle and East Caicos Ramsar Site
Ukraine Syvash Bay
United Arab Emirates Marawah Island
United Kingdom Chichester and Langstone Harbours
United Kingdom Humber Estuary
United Kingdom Mid-Essex Coast
United Kingdom North Norfolk Coast
United Kingdom Portsmouth Harbour
United Kingdom Ribble and Alt Estuaries
United Kingdom Stour and Orwell Estuaries
United Kingdom The Swale
United Kingdom The Wash
USA Teshekpuk Lake-E. Dease Inlet

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Aquaculture Ponds suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land suitable passage
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Wastewater Treatment Areas suitable passage
Grassland Tundra major breeding
Marine Coastal/Supratidal Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes suitable non-breeding
Marine Coastal/Supratidal Coastal Freshwater Lakes suitable non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Mud Flats and Salt Flats major non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Rocky Shoreline suitable 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 Intertidal Tidepools suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable passage
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) suitable passage
Wetlands (inland) Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable passage
Wetlands (inland) Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) suitable passage
Wetlands (inland) Tundra Wetlands (incl. pools and temporary waters from snowmelt) suitable breeding
Altitude   Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture Marine & freshwater aquaculture - Industrial aquaculture Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Species disturbance, Ecosystem degradation
Agriculture & aquaculture Marine & freshwater aquaculture - Subsistence/artisinal aquaculture Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Species disturbance, Ecosystem degradation
Biological resource use Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Species disturbance, Ecosystem degradation
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Species mortality
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Unintentional effects (species is not the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Species mortality
Climate change & severe weather Habitat shifting & alteration Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Whole (>90%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Reduced reproductive success
Energy production & mining Oil & gas drilling Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation
Energy production & mining Renewable energy Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Species mortality
Human intrusions & disturbance Recreational activities Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Species disturbance
Human intrusions & disturbance Work & other activities Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Species disturbance
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Spartina alterniflora Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Pollution Domestic & urban waste water - Sewage Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation
Pollution Industrial & military effluents - Type Unknown/Unrecorded Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation
Residential & commercial development Commercial & industrial areas Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Species disturbance, Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Residential & commercial development Housing & urban areas Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Species disturbance, Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion

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

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/grey-plover-pluvialis-squatarola on 18/12/2024.
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 18/12/2024.