VU
Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus



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.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - A2bd+3bd+4bd

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2024 Vulnerable A2bd+3bd+4bd
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) 5,800,000 km2 medium
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 32,600,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 150000-320000,245000 mature individuals poor estimated 2023
Population trend decreasing - estimated 2016-2028
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) 20-49% - - -
Rate of change over the future 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 3.89 years - - -

Population justification: The global population is currently estimated at 245,000 mature individuals (Wetlands International 2023). Previously a lower value was estimated at 153,000 mature individuals (Andres et al. 2012), based on Jehl Jr. et al. (2020; first published in 2001). This estimates about 75,000 L. g. caurinus/Pacific populations and 78,000 L. g. hendersoni/griseus/Atlantic and Gulf coasts (Jehl Jr. et al. 2020). However more than 100,000 of the latter group were estimated to be breeding in Canada (Morrison et al. 1994), and this value is increased to 170,000 in Wetlands International (2023). A higher value of 320,000 was supplied for the United States Shorebird Conservation Plan (Brown 2001) and given the difficulty in adequately covering the population in either breeding or non-breeding areas this is a plausible high bound. The species is not covered by the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM) surveys as it breeds further south, but the observation that these systematic surveys typically increased estimates significantly suggests the current population size may be conservative.

Trend justification: Analysis of migration count data estimates a moderate to extremely rapid reduction over the past three generations of -58% (-14 to -81% 90% credible intervals) (Smith et al. 2023). This data is also used for the trend in Partners in Flight (2023). Other data also indicate declines, but not at such severe rates. eBird data indicate a moderately rapid reduction between 14 and 23% over three generations (Fink et al. 2023), and Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data estimate a 26% reduction over the 12 years between 2010 and 2022 (Ziolkowski et al. 2022), equal to the three-generation reduction after rounding. This latter rate has increased, with the equivalent rate derived from 2000-2022 data only 19%. Surveys of southbound migrants are thought to be the most representative data for deriving trends (ECCC 2019) and the network of sites covers the migration route of the eastern breeding range, but Alaskan breeding birds are not well covered. Pacific coast migration counts have not separated the two co-occurring dowitcher species: combined the species pair show a rapid reduction but this represents less than 5% of the global population (Migratory Shorebird Project, unpublished data). In contrast to the sources above, the Christmas Bird Count suggest an increasing trend within the USA and Canada (Meehan et al. 2022). Most of the population is outside of the USA during the non-breeding season, but this may reflect differing trends between subpopulations, indicating that the severe declines are occurring primarily in the populations migrating further, and along more easterly routes to winter in South America (G. Angelozzi-Blanco in litt. 2024). Alternatively it may represent shifts in the wintering distribution such that a greater number occur at more northern sites and are hence available to the CBC surveys (Smith et al. 2023). Overall, and accounting for the level of uncertainty in the migration count estimates, the rate of reduction is estimated at between 20-49% over the past three generations. This rate is projected to continue to one generation in the future, and while uncertainty is high it is suspected, given the absence of mitigation, to continue for the next three generations into the future.


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Anguilla (to UK) extant native yes yes
Antigua and Barbuda extant native yes yes
Aruba (to Netherlands) extant native yes yes
Australia extant vagrant
Bahamas extant native yes yes
Barbados extant native yes yes
Belgium extant vagrant
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 vagrant
Colombia extant native yes yes
Costa Rica extant native yes yes
Cuba extant native yes yes
Curaçao (to Netherlands) extant native yes yes
Dominica extant native yes yes
Dominican Republic extant native yes yes
Ecuador extant native yes yes
El Salvador extant native yes yes
France extant native yes
French Guiana extant native yes yes
Germany extant vagrant
Ghana 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
Jamaica extant native yes yes
Japan extant vagrant
Martinique (to France) extant native yes yes
Mexico extant native yes yes
Montserrat (to UK) extant native yes yes
Nicaragua extant native yes yes
Norway extant vagrant
Panama extant native yes yes
Peru extant native yes yes
Portugal extant vagrant
Puerto Rico (to USA) 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 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
USA extant native yes yes yes
Venezuela extant native yes yes
Virgin Islands (to UK) extant native yes yes
Virgin Islands (to USA) extant native yes yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Bahamas Joulter Cays
Canada Eastern Cape Sable Island
Canada Lagune du Havre aux Basques et plage de l'Ouest
Canada Oak Hammock Marsh WMA
Canada Southern Bight, Minas Basin
Costa Rica Nicoya Gulf mangroves and coastal areas
Costa Rica Sierpe Wetlands and Osa Peninsula
Cuba Delta del Cauto
Cuba Humedal Sur de Pinar del Río
Cuba Humedal Sur de Sancti Spiritus
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
Mexico Agiabampo
Mexico Área de San Quintín
Mexico Complejo Lagunar Ojo de Liebre
Mexico Complejo Lagunar San Ignacio
Mexico Istmo de Tehuantepec - Mar Muerto
Mexico Lago de Texcoco
Mexico Marismas Nacionales
Mexico Ría Lagartos
Mexico Sistema Tóbari
Panama Parita Bay
Panama Punta Patiño Nature Reserve and Wetlands
Panama Upper Bay of Panamá
Suriname Bigi Pan
Suriname Northern Commewijne/ Marowijne
Suriname Northern Coronie
Suriname Northern Saramacca
Trinidad and Tobago West Coast Mudflats
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) Grand Turk Salinas and Shores
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) North, Middle and East Caicos Ramsar Site
USA Barataria Terrebonne
USA Barrier Island/Lagoon System
USA Delaware Coastal Zone
USA Salton Sea

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land suitable non-breeding
Grassland Temperate suitable breeding
Marine Intertidal Mud Flats and Salt Flats major non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands suitable breeding
Wetlands (inland) Tundra Wetlands (incl. pools and temporary waters from snowmelt) suitable breeding
Altitude 0 - 1600 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Species disturbance, Species mortality
Climate change & severe weather Habitat shifting & alteration Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation
Human intrusions & disturbance Recreational activities Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Causing/Could cause fluctuations Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Species disturbance

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Food - human subsistence
Pets/display animals, horticulture international

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/short-billed-dowitcher-limnodromus-griseus 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.