Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This small shorebird has declined rapidly according to recent monitoring. There is considerable uncertainty in the rate of the reduction, but it is estimated to fall between 40-49% over the past three generations and for the period projected to the near future. At present, the population size and range remain large. Due to the rate of population reduction, the species is assessed as Vulnerable.
Population justification
The population was estimated as c.1.7 million in 2012 (Andres et al. 2012) but was recently substantially revised upwards to c.6.2 million (3.27-9.07 million) (Bart et al. in prep.), with the latter covering almost the entire species' breeding range and therefore accepted here. 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
Not well understood, but 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 49.0% over three generations, though with wide confidence intervals between a reduction of 2.4% and 74.6%. However, in sixty years of monitoring of breeding populations at a site in Alaska (where it must be acknowledged only a very small minority of the global population breeds), Taylor et al. (2018) found no change in breeding density between 1951 and 2012. The rate of reduction is here estimated to fall within the wide band of 0-75%, with the best estimate of 40-49% over three generations to cover the median rate of reduction estimated by Smith et al. (2023). This data is also used in the Avian Conservation Assessment Database December 2023 update (Partners in Flight 2023).
A Nearctic breeder, with almost all breeding birds in Arctic Canada and a few in northernmost Alaska (USA). Birds then migrate on a broad front to winter in coastal areas of eastern south America.
Birds breed in wet tundra, in low-lying areas near to water (Parmelee 2020). On passage inhabits a range of habitats including beaches, river banks, flooded fields and marshes (up to 450 m above sea-level), as well as intertidal flats, marine and freshwater wetlands (Bart et al. in prep.). In winter, most birds are on mud flats and flooded fields.
The drivers of decline in this species are very poorly known, but Bart et al. (in prep.) identified the following as the most likely key threats affecting it in North America: (1) dams and water management, particularly the draining of wetlands; (2) the expanding range of Red Fox Vulpes vulpes (see also Elmhagen et al. 2017, Gallant et al. 2020) causing increased rates of depredation, and hyperabundant Snow Geese Anser caerulescens and Ross’ Geese Anser rossii degrading habitat and causing increased predator densities (see, e.g., Flemming et al. 2019a, 2019b, 2019c); (3) the impacts of domestic, industrial and agricultural pollution; (4) climate change. The latter has been identified as driving reduced breeding productivity by a number of mechanisms in other shorebirds worldwide (e.g. Meltofte et al. 2007, Eikelenboom 2016, Kubelka et al. 2018) and in this species is very likely linked to the threats identified in point (2) above. More research is urgently needed. Available breeding habitat based on predicted distribution under future climate change scenarios is predicted to reduce by between 88% (RCP 4.5) and 95% (RCP 8.5) by 2070 (Wauchope et al. 2017).
On passage and in its non-breeding range, likely threats probably include habitat loss and degradation, human disturbance and perhaps locally hunting (Parmelee 2020, Andres et al. 2022).
Conservation Actions Underway
No targeted actions are known, although the species is covered by PRISM survey monitoring in the Canadian Arctic.
Conservation Actions Proposed
Protect and preserve important staging areas. Manipulate habitats to reduce disturbance and increase food availability (Parmelee 2020). Research threats, particularly on the breeding grounds, to better understand the mechanisms of population declines.
Text account compilers
Berryman, A.
Contributors
Butchart, S. & Ekstrom, J.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/white-rumped-sandpiper-calidris-fuscicollis 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.