VU
Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa



Taxonomy

Taxonomic note
Two subspecies recognized.

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.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - A2bc+4bc

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2024 Vulnerable A2bc+4bc
2016 Least Concern
2012 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) 4,200,000 km2 medium
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 15,100,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 270000 mature individuals medium estimated 2023
Population trend decreasing - estimated 2010-2037
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 20-49% - - -
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 20-49% - - -
Generation length 9.05 years - - -
Number of subpopulations 2 - - -
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation 1-89% - - -

Population justification: The global population is estimated to number 270,000 mature individuals (Partners in Flight 2023), and is assumed to be structured into two subpopulations that accord with the two species recognised in the species.

A combination of monitoring data from breeding, migration and especially non-breeding sites indicates that there is currently a rapid population reduction underway (Ziolkowski et al. 2022, Muñoz-Salas et al. 2023, Smith et al. 2023).

Trend justification:

Data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) indicate declines of c.17% in the three-generation period 1994-2021, with no indication the rate is slowing (Ziolkowski Jr. et al. 2022). Incorporating a combination of U.S. Geological Survey and Canadian Wildlife Service analyses of BBS survey data through 2021, an overall reduction of 31.0% (-43.8 to -16.4%) within three generations was estimated in the Avian Conservation Assessment Database December 2023 update (Partners in Flight 2023). There appear to have been an acceleration in the rates of reduction in the past few years, with the Prairie Potholes Bird Conservation region (the core part of the breeding range) showing a sustained and worsening trend, although an increase is noted for the smaller population in the Badlands/Prairies Bird Conservation Region (Ziolkowski Jr. et al. 2022, N. Warnock in litt. 2024). 

Surveys of migratory stopover locations throughout North America (Smith et al. 2023) support the fact that a moderately rapid to rapid reduction is taking place, with an estimated reduction of 28.9% in three generations. However this trend has poor precision and the majority of the population is not sampled by the network of sites involved: the trend has wide confidence intervals of -75.9% to +55.0% (Smith et al. 2023). 

The most concerning data come from monitoring of non-breeding areas. Wintering populations of Marbled Godwits in north-west Mexico and California are thought to have declined by 7.7% annually based on Migratory Shorebird Project data during 2011–2019 (Muñoz-Salas et al. 2023). This is equivalent to a three-generation reduction of c.89%, and it is suspected that about half of the non-breeding population is expected to occur in this area. Elsewhere however, trends appear to be stable. Christmas Bird Count data (Meehan et al. 2022) show a relatively stable/slightly increasing trend overall for the three-generation period to 2021. Also, there are well-studied sites on the west coast that have remained stable, for example Tomales Bay (Warnock et al. 2021): it is possible this represents a high-quality site that attracts individuals up to the carrying capacity of the site, hence counts would remain constant while other sites see declining numbers. An alternative possible explanation for the conflicting trends may be ‘short-stopping’, where fewer individuals complete the expected full distance of their migration and instead stay in sites closer to breeding areas, although declines noted further south are not offset by stability at some sites further north.

Overall, based on data sources that cover most of the species’ range, the population decline is estimated to fall within the band 20-49% for the past and current three generations, up to 2037 (based on trend data accelerating after 2010). Uncertainty over the future rate of decline means that a value for the future three generations is not determined.


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Bahamas extant native yes
Belize extant native yes
Canada extant native yes yes yes
Cayman Islands (to UK) extant native yes
Colombia extant native yes
Costa Rica extant native yes yes
Cuba extant native yes
El Salvador extant native yes yes
Grenada extant vagrant
Guadeloupe (to France) extant vagrant
Guatemala extant native yes yes
Honduras extant native yes yes
Jamaica extant native yes
Mexico extant native yes yes
Nicaragua extant native yes
Panama extant native yes yes
St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) extant vagrant
USA extant native yes yes yes
Virgin Islands (to UK) extant vagrant
Virgin Islands (to USA) extant vagrant

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Costa Rica Nicoya Gulf mangroves and coastal areas
Mexico Agiabampo
Mexico Área de San Quintín
Mexico Bahía Magdalena-Almejas
Mexico Bahía Navachiste
Mexico Bahía Santa María
Mexico Bahía Todos Santos
Mexico Complejo Lagunar Ojo de Liebre
Mexico Complejo Lagunar San Ignacio
Mexico Delta del Río Colorado
Mexico Ensenada de la Paz
Mexico Ensenada de Pabellones
Mexico Estero Lobos
Mexico Marismas Nacionales
Mexico Sistema Tóbari
Mexico Zonas Húmedas de Yávaros
USA Bear River Bay UT02
USA Salton Sea

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Grassland Temperate major breeding
Marine Intertidal Mud Flats and Salt Flats major non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) suitable non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc suitable non-breeding
Marine Neritic Estuaries major non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands major breeding
Altitude 0 - 150 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
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%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion, Reduced reproductive success
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Past, Unlikely to Return Majority (50-90%) Rapid Declines Past Impact
Stresses
Species mortality
Human intrusions & disturbance Recreational activities Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Species disturbance, Reduced reproductive success
Natural system modifications Dams & water management/use - Abstraction of surface water (agricultural use) 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%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Ecosystem conversion
Residential & commercial development Housing & urban areas Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Ecosystem conversion
Transportation & service corridors Roads & railroads Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation
Transportation & service corridors Utility & service lines Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Food - human subsistence, national

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/marbled-godwit-limosa-fedoa 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.