Data Zone
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.
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.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | A2bd+4bd |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Near Threatened | A2bd+4bd |
| 2016 | Near Threatened | A2bcd |
| 2012 | Near Threatened | A2bcd |
| 2009 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Least Concern | |
| 2004 | Least Concern | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 9,200,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 30,000,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 9000000-11000000 mature individuals | good | estimated | 2024 |
| Population trend | decreasing | - | estimated | 2011-2026 |
| Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 0-40,10-26% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 0-40,10-26% | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 4.99 years | - | - | - |
| Number of subpopulations | 1 | - | - | - |
| Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation | 100% | - | - | - |
Population justification: The population was estimated as c.2.3 million in 2012 (Andres et al. 2012) but was recently substantially revised upwards to c.9-10 million in Arctic Canada and Alaska (Bart et al. in prep., Smith et al. in prep.). Much smaller numbers breed in Siberian Russia, hence the total global population is estimated at 9-11 million birds. This value is based on the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM) surveys on the breeding grounds (Bart and Smith 2012, Smith et al. in prep.). These surveys target breeding pairs in suitable breeding habitat, hence the values derived are considered to relate to mature individuals.
Trend justification: Difficult to determine, but probably declining, potentially moderately rapidly or rapidly. Recent migration count data from the Atlantic coast indicate potentially rapid declines, albeit with high uncertainty. Smith et al. (2023) estimated a population reduction equivalent to 40.4% over three generations, though with wide confidence intervals between a reduction of 67.4% and an increase of 1.67%. These data are also used in the Avian Conservation Assessment Database December 2023 update (Partners in Flight 2023). Christmas Bird Count (CBC) data also indicate very rapid declines (Meehan et al. 2022). These data broadly match previous suggestion that Atlantic populations are decreasing (Gratto-Trevor et. al. 2012) and documented declines of non-breeding congregations in northern South America (Morrison et al. 2012). However, on the Pacific (west) coast, the Migratory Shorebird Project (unpublished data) estimated that the recent trend is increasing up to 3.78% per year (-11.2 to +18.7), or +54% (-75 to +644%) over three generations. This suggestion matches Smith et al. (2012) who found that populations in the western and central areas of the breeding range are increasing. This pattern of data suggests that population increases in the west are likely to some extent offsetting declines in the east, but the numbers of birds involved is not well established. Overall, the global population is estimated to have declined over the past three generations by 0-40%, with a best guess of 10-26%, assuming approximately 15-30% of birds are using the Pacific coast. More research is however needed.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Anguilla (to UK) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Antigua and Barbuda | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Argentina | extant | native | yes | |||
| Aruba (to Netherlands) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Bahamas | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Barbados | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Belize | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Bermuda (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bolivia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Brazil | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Canada | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Cayman Islands (to UK) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Chile | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Colombia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Costa Rica | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cuba | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Curaçao (to Netherlands) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Denmark | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Djibouti | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Dominica | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Dominican Republic | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Ecuador | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| El Salvador | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| France | extant | vagrant | ||||
| French Guiana | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Germany | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Grenada | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Guadeloupe (to France) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Guatemala | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Guyana | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Haiti | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Honduras | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Iceland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Ireland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Israel | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Jamaica | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Martinique (to France) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Mauritania | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Mexico | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Montserrat (to UK) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Morocco | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Netherlands | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Nicaragua | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Panama | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Paraguay | extant | native | yes | |||
| Peru | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Portugal | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia (Asian) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Spain | extant | vagrant | ||||
| St Barthelemy (to France) | extant | native | yes | 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 | ||
| Suriname | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Sweden | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Trinidad and Tobago | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Kingdom | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Uruguay | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| USA | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Venezuela | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Virgin Islands (to UK) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | extant | native | yes | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grassland | Tundra | major | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | major | non-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 | major | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | major | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Inland Deltas | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Tundra Wetlands (incl. pools and temporary waters from snowmelt) | major | breeding |
| Altitude | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (large scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Whole (>90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Energy production & mining | Oil & gas drilling | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases - Anser caerulescens | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases - Anser rossii | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases - Vulpes vulpes | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Food - human | subsistence |
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | international |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/semipalmated-sandpiper-calidris-pusilla on 22/12/2024.
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 22/12/2024.