Data Zone
Taxonomic note
Charadrius alexandrinus, C. dealbatus and C. nivosus (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as C. alexandrinus following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).
Taxonomic source(s)
AOU. 1998. Check-list of North American birds. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.
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.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Near Threatened | A2bc+3bc+4bc |
| 2016 | Near Threatened | A2bc+3bc+4bc |
| 2014 | Near Threatened | A2bc+3bc+4bc |
| 2012 | Not Recognised | |
| 2008 | Not Recognised | |
| 2004 | Not Recognised | |
| 2000 | Not Recognised | |
| 1994 | Not Recognised | |
| 1988 | Not Recognised |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | 42 g |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 40,300,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 39,300,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 24000-31000 mature individuals | medium | estimated | 2016 |
| Population trend | decreasing | - | suspected | 2014-2024 |
| Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 25-29% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 25-29% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 25-29% | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 3.51 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: The North American population was estimated at 25,869 individuals by Thomas et al. (2012). C. n. occidentalis in western South America has been estimated to number 8,000-10,000 individuals, and there are c.2,500 individuals of the population sometimes separated as C. n. tenuirostris on the Gulf Coast, Bahamas and Caribbean (Wetlands International 2014), giving a tentative total of perhaps 36,000-38,000 individuals, roughly equating to 24,000-26,000 mature individuals. Partners in Flight (2019) however, estimate a larger population of 31,000 mature individuals hence, the population is placed here in the range 24,000-31,000 mature individuals.
Trend justification: Population trends for this species are difficult to quantify. Whilst some subpopulations are said to be declining (e.g. occidentalis, tenuirostris and nivosus on the Pacific coast [Page et al. 2020, Wetlands International 2020]), trends in other subpopulations are said to be stable or even increasing (Meehan et al. 2018, Page et al. 2020) or are largely unknown (Wetlands International 2020). Overall, the species is assumed to be undergoing a moderately rapid population decline approaching 30% over three generations (10.5 years), following evidence of regional declines and on-going threats such as habitat degradation and disturbance (Page et al. 2009, Thomas et al. 2012). Further evidence is required to confirm this trend however.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anguilla (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Aruba (to Netherlands) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bahamas | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Chile | extant | native | yes | |||
| Colombia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cuba | extant | native | yes | |||
| Curaçao (to Netherlands) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Dominica | extant | native | ||||
| Dominican Republic | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ecuador | extant | native | yes | |||
| Haiti | extant | native | yes | |||
| Honduras | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Mexico | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Peru | extant | native | yes | |||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) | extant | native | yes | |||
| St Barthelemy (to France) | extant | native | yes | |||
| St Kitts and Nevis | extant | native | yes | |||
| St Martin (to France) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| USA | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Venezuela | extant | native | yes | |||
| Virgin Islands (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | extant | native | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Excavations (open) | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Excavations (open) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Ponds (below 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Ponds (below 8ha) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Salt Exploitation Sites | major | breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Salt Exploitation Sites | major | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Water Storage Areas (over 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Water Storage Areas (over 8ha) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Desert | Hot | suitable | breeding |
| Desert | Hot | suitable | non-breeding |
| Desert | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Desert | Temperate | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | 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 | Mud Flats and Salt Flats | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | major | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Marshes/Pools | major | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Marshes/Pools | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes and Flats | major | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes and Flats | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks | suitable | non-breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 3000 m | 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%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Climate change & severe weather | Droughts | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Clostridium botulinum | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Minority (<50%) | Rapid Declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use - Abstraction of surface water (unknown use) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use - Dams (size unknown) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
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| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water - Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
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| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
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| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Food - human | subsistence, national |
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | international |
| Sport hunting/specimen collecting | subsistence, national |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Snowy Plover Charadrius nivosus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/snowy-plover-charadrius-nivosus 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.