• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic note
Prosobonia cancellata and P. parvirostris (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as P. cancellata following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).

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.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	B2ab(iii,v)	B2ab(iii,v); C2a(i); D1+2

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2023	Endangered	B2ab(iii,v)
2016	Endangered	B1ab(iii,v); C2a(ii)
2014	Endangered	B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v)
2012	Not Recognised
2008	Not Recognised
2004	Not Recognised
2000	Not Recognised
1994	Not Recognised
1988	Not Recognised

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type		Average mass	36 g

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	295,000 km2	medium
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident)	420 km2
Number of locations	3-7	-
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	700-1100 mature individuals	good	estimated	2017
Population trend	decreasing	medium	inferred	-
Generation length	4.1 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	7	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	1-89%	-	-	-

Population justification: Rat-free populations of more than 100 individuals exist only on three islands, with populations on other islands persisting at very low numbers. The population is estimated to number 600-1,000 individuals on Tenararo, >530 individuals on Morane and 150 individuals on Tahanea (Thibault and Cibois 2017). There are also estimated to be 35 individuals on Anuanuaro, several tens on Reitoru, no more than a dozen on Raraka and at least one pair on Marutea South (Thibault and Cibois 2017). This gives a total population estimate of approximately 1,600 individuals, roughly equating to 1,100 mature individuals. However, mark recapture in 2015 has suggested that numbers on Tenararo and Morane may have been overestimated and these populations may number less than 500 birds each (R. Pierce in litt. 2023). As such, the population is placed here in the band 700-1,100 mature individuals.

Trend justification: There have been an increasing number of nil returns when islands where small numbers had been reported are re-surveyed, implying a continuing population decline correlated with the spread of rats and cats that is still ongoing in association with the development of Tuamotu (Pierce and Blanvillain 2004, Thibault and Cibois 2017). Given evidence of rapid declines on Tahanea (through starvation) in 2011 following an entry of saltwater into the water tables of the islets caused by a strong swell [Pierce et al. 2003, 2016; Pierce and Blanvillain 2004]) and ongoing evidence of habitat damage caused by swells (R. Pierce in litt. 2016), the effects of climate change, particularly sea level rise, are likely to be a significant threat to the species in the future. Overall the population is inferred to be in decline, but the rate has not been quantified.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
French Polynesia	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
French Polynesia	Morane
French Polynesia	Reitoru
French Polynesia	Tahanea
French Polynesia	Tenararo
French Polynesia	Vahanga

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Marine Intertidal	Rocky Shoreline	suitable	resident
Marine Intertidal	Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc	suitable	resident
Marine Intertidal	Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches	suitable	resident
Marine Intertidal	Tidepools	suitable	resident
Shrubland	Subtropical/Tropical Dry	major	resident
Altitude	0 - 20 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Climate change & severe weather	Habitat shifting & alteration	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Future		Whole (>90%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Indirect ecosystem effects, Ecosystem degradation
Climate change & severe weather	Storms & flooding	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Past, Likely to Return		Majority (50-90%)		Rapid Declines		Past Impact
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Anoplolepis gracilipes	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Future		Unknown		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Cocos nucifera	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Felis catus	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Rattus exulans	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Rattus rattus	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Tuamotu Sandpiper Prosobonia parvirostris. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/tuamotu-sandpiper-prosobonia-parvirostris 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.