Family: Scolopacidae (Sandpipers, Snipes, Phalaropes)
Authority: Gmelin, 1789
Red List Category
Although this species has a relatively small breeding range size (extent of occurrence c. 1,500,000 km2), this still far exceeds Criterion B thresholds. It also has a relatively small estimated population size (70,000 mature individuals; Partners in Flight 2023), but again this does not approach Criteria C or D thresholds. Considering its population trend over three generations (c. 18 years), data from the Christmas Bird Count (Meehan et al. 2022) indicate a decline of c. 23% (albeit with wide confidence intervals), although the underlying interannual trend data suggest the population has fluctuated over the last decade, following a long-term decline. Over the same period, Partners in Flight (2023) reports a decline of c. 11% (albeit with large confidence intervals), and eBird also indicates a decline (Fink et al. 2023). Although the population has declined and may still be declining, it does not currently appear to be declining at a rate approaching Criterion A thresholds. Hence, the species continues to warrant listing as Least Concern.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Surfbird Calidris virgata. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/surfbird-calidris-virgata on 23/11/2024.
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 23/11/2024.