Justification This species is listed as Near Threatened owing to its small population. The current population trend is unknown, but if the species was found to be in decline it might qualify for a higher threat category.

Family/Sub-family Haematopodidae

Species name author Bonaparte, 1856

Taxonomic source(s) 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?

5,000 - 6,000

unset

140,000 km²

No

Range & population Haematopus moquini has a coastal breeding range which stretches from Lüderitz, Namibia, to Mazeppa Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The total population is estimated to number 5,000-6,000 individuals², with about half occurring along the Western Cape (South Africa) coastline, half of these on its near-shore islands.

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

Ecology: Behaviour Adults of this species are mostly sedentary, although some seasonal movement occurs between breeding and non-breeding habitats⁴, within a 15km range⁵. Breeding occurs from September to April, with a peak from November to February^3,4. It breeds slightly later in Namibia than in South Africa^3,4. Juveniles either disperse at independence, moving up to 150km from their natal site to areas with high adult density^3,4, or migrate up to 2000km to one of five nursery areas⁴. These return to their natal area after 2-3 years⁴. The species breeds and forages solitarily^4,5,but roosts communally in groups of up to 200 in the non-breeding season^4,5. Habitat Breeding Offshore islands and sandy beaches are favoured as breeding habitats⁴. It rarely breeds on mainland rocky shores^4,5. Non-breeding The species forages exclusively in the intertidal zone^4,5 and is found on mainland rocky and sandy shores during the non-breeding season, being less frequent in estuaries, lagoons and coastal pans^3,4. It tends to roost on promontaries with good all-round visibility⁴. Nurseries occur in both sheltered bays and open rocky shores⁴. Diet Its diet includes primarily bivalves such as limpets and mussels, but also polychaetes, whelks and crustaceans^3,4,5. Breeding site The nest is a scrape in sand where possible, but on rocky subtrata shells are built up to form a lip^3,4,5, or eggs are laid on bare rock^3,4. The nest is usually situated within 30m of the high water mark^4,6, often beside a disruptive object such as a rock or clumps of kelp^4,8. The clutch-size ranges from one to three eggs, but is usually two. The incubation period is 27-39 days, followed by a fledging period of 35-40 days; pairs rear one or two chicks. Fledging success is 0.3-0.6 young per pair per year on predator-free offshore islands, but is lower on the mainland. There is evidence that breeding productivity has increased on the west coast since 1980, following the invasion of the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Age of first breeding is three years in females, and probably four years in males. The species is known to live for over 18 years³.

Threats The peak of the breeding season coincides with peak coastal recreational activities and the resulting disturbance reduces breeding success⁷. Off-road vehicles are a particular problem, as they churn up beaches, run over nests and crush eggs, and kill young hiding in vehicle tracks. In addition, people on beaches can keep adults off nests for extended periods, overheating eggs and killing embryos, and predation of eggs and chicks by domestic dogs can be a problem⁷. Disturbance also leads to the predation of eggs and chicks by Kelp Gulls Larus dominicanus⁸. On sections of the coastline undisturbed by humans, natural predators (e.g. mongoose) take many nests. The mainland is likely to prove a population sink for surplus birds from near-shore islands, with breeding productivity too low to sustain coastal populations. Coastal development is thought to have caused declines in some areas³. The c.30% of the total population that is found on offshore islands is threatened by the introduction of mammalian predators³.

Conservation measures underway On most near-shore islands, population sizes have been stable or increased recently due to either improved management, e.g. the cessation of guano-scraping during the 1980s, and/or a change in diet from indigenous limpets and mussels to invasive mussels such as Mytilus galloprovincialis (e.g. at Robben Island, South Africa)¹. Recreational vehicles have been banned from the Overberg coast since February 2002⁸. The national Oystercatcher Conservation Programme (OCP) has been raising public awareness concerning the species and its needs, and has been generating local community involvement it its conservation⁸.

Conservation measures proposed Monitor population trends and annual breeding success. Study local rates of predation. Create disturbance-free areas on beaches. Protect areas of coastal habitat. Design measures to prevent the introduction of mammalian predators to breeding islands.

References Barnes (2000). 1. Calf and Underhill (2002). 2. T. Dodman in litt. (2002) to Wetlands International (2002). 3. del Hoyo et al. (1996).4. Hockey et al. (2005). 5. Urban et al. (1986). 6. Calf and Underhill (2005). 7. Leseberg et al. (2005). 8. Jeffery and Scott (2005).

Text account compilers Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Andrew O'Brien (BirdLife International), John Pilgrim (BirdLife International), Pete Robertson (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Contributors Tim Dodman (Wetlands International), Robert E. Simmons (FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Haematopus moquini. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/2/2010

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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