Justification This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Family/Sub-family Scolopacidae

Species name author (Linnaeus, 1758)

Taxonomic source(s) AERC TAC (2003), AOU checklist (1998 + supplements), Christidis and Boles (1994), Christidis and Boles (2008), Cramp and Simmons (1977-1994), Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

960,000 - 2,600,000

unset

15,000,000 km²

No

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: Behaviour Most populations of this species are fully migratory and travel on a broad front over land and along coasts, some Icelandic and Western European populations remaining close to their breeding grounds¹. It breeds from March to August² in solitarily pairs or in loose colonies^{1, 2}, departing the breeding grounds from June to October, and returning from the wintering grounds again between February and April². Outside of the breeding season the species forages singly, in small groups¹ or occasionally in larger flocks of up to c.1,000 individuals⁵ especially at roosting sites² or when feeding on fish¹. Habitat Breeding The species breeds on coastal saltmarshes, inland wet grasslands with short swards¹ (including cultivated meadows)³, grassy marshes, swampy heathlands¹ and swampy moors³. Non-breeding On passage the species may frequent inland flooded grasslands¹ and the silty shores of rivers and lakes⁴, but during the winter it is largely coastal¹, occupying rocky, muddy and sandy beaches, saltmarshes, tidal mudflats, saline and freshwater coastal lagoons¹, tidal estuaries³, saltworks and sewage farms¹. Diet Breeding When breeding its diet consists of insects, spiders and annelid worms¹. Non-breeding During the non-breeding season the species takes insects, spiders and annelid worms¹, as well as molluscs, crustaceans (especially amphipods e.g. Corophium spp.)¹ and occasionally small fish and tadpoles¹. Breeding site The nest s a shallow scrape or hollow⁵ on a hummock or at the base of a tuft⁴ of grass¹, often well hidden by overhanging leaves¹. The species usually nests solitarily inland (less than 10 pairs/km²) but in loosely colonial groups (up to 100-300 pairs/km²⁾ on the coast¹. Management information Optimal breeding conditions for this species may be provided by creating a mosaic of unflooded grassland, winter-flooded grassland and shallow pools⁹. Winter flooding of grasslands is beneficial to the species as it helps to keep the sward height short and open and also creates pools which provide a source of aquatic invertebrates in the spring^{9, 13}. Such shallow pools on coastal grazing marshes should be maintained until the end of June¹⁶. The number of breeding pairs on improved grassland was successfully increased on a reserve in Wales by the implementation of a two-year rotation of chisel ploughing, as well as a seasonal sheep and cattle grazing regime and a controlled increase in the water-level¹⁴. At Lower Lough Erne in Northern Ireland the breeding population of the species increased considerably as a result of cutting rush beds in mid-winter (although the species nested on uncut areas, chicks benefited from the presence of adjacent short, open areas for feeding)¹⁵. Low-level grazing of salt marshes (e.g. c.1 cow per hectare) does not appear to affect the species and may even be beneficial to breeding populations^{19, 20}, although cattle should not be put onto the marsh until towards the end of the nesting season (e.g. late-May or early-June) to minimise the risk of nest trampling¹⁹. There is also evidence that too heavy grazing can be detrimental¹⁸. The species is known to show increased hatching success when ground predators have been excluded by erecting protective fences around nesting areas⁸, and in the UK there is evidence that the removal of Spartina anglica from tidal mudflats using a herbicide is beneficial for the species¹⁸.

Threats The species is threatened by the loss of breeding and wintering habitats through agricultural intensification, wetland drainage, flood control, afforestation, land reclamation, industrial development¹, encroachment of Spartina spp. on mudflats^{1, 18}, improvement of marginal grasslands¹ (e.g. by drainage, inorganic fertilising and re-seeding)¹⁰, coastal barrage construction⁷, and heavy grazing (e.g. of saltmarshes)¹⁷. The species is also threatened by disturbance on intertidal mudflats from construction work (UK)¹¹ and foot-traffic on footpaths¹². It is vulnerable to severe cold periods on its Western European wintering grounds¹ and suffers from nest predation by introduced predators (e.g. European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus) on some islands⁸. The species is also susceptible to avian influenza so may be threatened by future outbreaks of the viurs⁶.

References 1. del Hoyo et al. (1996). 2. Hayman et al. (1986). 3. Johnsgard (1981). 4. Flint et al. (1984). 5. Snow and Perrins (1998). 6. Melveille and Shortridge (2006). 7. Burton (2006). 8. Jackson (2001). 9. Ausden et al. (2002). 10. Baines (1988). 11. Burton et al. (2002a). 12. Burton et al. (2002b). 13. Olsen and Schmidt (2004). 14. Squires and Allcorn (2006). 15. Robson and Allcorn (2006). 16. Ausden et al. (2003). 17. Norris et al. (1998). 18. Evans (1986). 19. Norris et al. (1997). 20. Ausden et al. (2005).

Further web sources of information

Detailed species account from Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status (BirdLife International 2004)

Text account compilers Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Jonathan Ekstrom (BirdLife International), Lucy Malpas (BirdLife International)

IUCN Red List evaluators Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2010) Species factsheet: Tringa totanus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 30/7/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums