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 appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable 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 (Gunnerus, 1767)

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), Stotz et al. (1996), Turbott (1990)

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

440,000 - 1,500,000

unset

12,100,000 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 This species is fully migratory and generally migrates overland on a broad front, although the majority of Western European birds passes through coastal and estuarine sites^{1, 4}. The Wadden Sea for example is used by many Fennoscandian birds as a stop-over and moulting site from late-April to mid-May¹. Most palearctic birds are trans-Saharan migrants¹, the main autumn passage through northern and temperate Europe occurring from the second week of July to late-October⁴. One parent (usually the female) leaves the breeding territory first from late-June to early July^{1, 4}, with the other parent and juveniles following around 3-6 weeks later⁴. Flocks arrive in southern Africa and Australia from August to September, and depart again in March for the northward return migration¹. The species departs for its breeding grounds during the evening⁵ and once there it breeds between late-April and June¹. Some non-breeding birds may also remain in the south throughout the summer^{1, 4}. The species normally breeds in very dispersed pairs³, but on passage it can occur singly or in small flocks (flocks of 20-25 are common in southern Africa)⁴, although congregations of 100 or more may very rarely occur at high tide or at roosting sites². This species feeds both diurnally and nocturnally¹. Habitat Breeding This species breeds in the boreal forest zone from sea level to 1,200 m in Norway^{3, 4} (although predominantly up to 450 m)⁴, in swampy forest clearings, woody moorland, open bogs and marshes (including raised and blanket bogs)¹, and eutrophic lakes with margins of dead and decaying vegetation³. It avoids bare or broken barren expanses, mountain escarpments, and closed forests with very dense, tall vegetation⁴. Non-breeding In its wintering grounds this species frequents a variety of freshwater, marine and artificial wetlands, including swamps, open muddy or rocky shores of lakes and large rivers, sewage farms, saltworks, inundated rice-fields¹, ponds, reservoirs⁴, flooded grasslands⁵, saltmarshes, sandy or muddy coastal flats, mangroves, estuaries¹, lagoons and pools on tidal reefs⁴ or exposed coral², although it generally avoids open coastline¹. On migration this species occurs on inland flooded meadows, dried-up lakes, sandbars and marshes¹. Diet This species is chiefly carnivorous, its diet consisting of insects and their larvae (especially beetles), crustaceans, annelids, molluscs, amphibians¹, small fish (mullet Liza spp., clinids Clinus spp. and tilapia Oreochromis spp.)⁵ and occasionally rodents¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow scrape on open ground, often in clearings in woods⁴, and is typically placed next to a piece of dead wood¹, or beside rocks, trees³, fences and sticks (for use as nest markers)⁴.

Threats In the Chinese, North Korean and South Korean regions of the Yellow Sea this species is threatened by the degradation and loss of its preferred wetland habitats through environmental pollution, reduced river flows and human disturbance⁶.

References 1. del Hoyo et al. (1996). 2. Urban et al. (1986). 3. Johnsgard (1981). 4. Snow and Perrins (1998). 5. Hockey et al. (2005). 6. Kelin and Qiang (2006).

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 nebularia. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2/9/2010

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.

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