IUCN Red List Criteria
| Near Threatened (criteria nearly met) |
A2bcd |
IUCN Red List history
| Year |
Category |
| 2012 |
Near Threatened |
| 2009 |
Least Concern |
| 2008 |
Least Concern |
| 2004 |
Least Concern |
| 2000 |
Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 |
Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 |
Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status |
full migrant |
Forest dependency |
Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type |
|
Average mass |
- |
Distribution
| |
Estimate |
Data quality |
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) |
1,220,000 |
medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) |
1,220,000 |
medium |
| Number of locations |
|
- |
| Fragmentation |
|
- |
Population & trend
| |
Estimate |
Data quality |
Derivation |
Year of estimate |
| No. of mature individuals |
|
poor |
Estimated |
2006 |
| Population trend |
Decreasing |
|
|
- |
| Number of subpopulations |
|
- |
- |
- |
| Largest subpopulation |
|
- |
- |
- |
| Generation length (yrs) |
7.4 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Population justification: The population was formerly estimated at 3.5 million individuals, but this was revised downwards to 2.2 million individuals in 2006 (Morrison et al. 2006, A. Lesterhuis in litt. 2009) assuming annual declines of 5% in 75% of the North American population. |
|
Trend justification: This species is conservatively estimated to have declined at a rate approaching 30% over three generations (22 years). Determining the exact population trajectory is very difficult, but aerial surveys along the coasts of Suriname, French Guiana and Guyana (which may support c.85% of the population wintering on the coast of South America) suggest that the non-breeding population may have declined by c.79% between the early 1980s and 2008 (Morrison et al. 2012), while data from the Bay of Fundy show a 68% decline during southbound migration between 1982 and 2005, with the greatest reductions taking place since the mid 1990s. Preliminary results from surveys of the Brazilian coast (Belem to Baia de Sanadi) in 2011 suggest that declines have also taken place here since 1982, making it unlikely that a southward shift in wintering range accounts for the declines in Suriname and French Guiana (D. Mizrahi in litt. 2011). Long-term population trend indices also suggest that Semipalmated Sandpiper has declined significantly since the 1980s, especially populations migrating along the Atlantic Coast en route to eastern Canadian breeding areas (Mizrahi et al. 2012). However, data from the breeding range suggests that the species was generally increasing or stable in the western and central portions of the range and had an uncertain status in the east (Smith et al. 2012), making the overall picture difficult to determine. |
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory |
Occurrence status |
Extinct |
Breeding |
Non-breeding |
Passage |
| Albania |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Anguilla (to UK) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Antigua and Barbuda |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Argentina |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Aruba (to Netherlands) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Bahamas |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Barbados |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Belize |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Bermuda (to UK) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Brazil |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Canada |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
Yes |
| Cayman Islands (to UK) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Chile |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Colombia |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Costa Rica |
Native |
No |
|
Yes |
|
| Cuba |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Curaçao (to Netherlands) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Denmark |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Djibouti |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Dominica |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Dominican Republic |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Ecuador |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| El Salvador |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| France |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| French Guiana |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Germany |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Greenland (to Denmark) |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Grenada |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Guadeloupe (to France) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Guatemala |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Guyana |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Haiti |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Honduras |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Iceland |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Ireland |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Israel |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
Yes |
| Jamaica |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Martinique (to France) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Mauritania |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Mexico |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Montserrat (to UK) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Morocco |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Netherlands |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Nicaragua |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Panama |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Paraguay |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Peru |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Portugal |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Puerto Rico (to USA) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Russia (Asian) |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
| Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Spain |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| St Kitts and Nevis |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| St Lucia |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| St Martin (to France) |
Native |
No |
|
Yes |
|
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) |
Native |
No |
|
|
Yes |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Suriname |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Sweden |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Trinidad and Tobago |
Native |
No |
|
|
Yes |
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| United Kingdom |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Uruguay |
Native |
No |
|
Yes |
|
| USA |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
| Venezuela |
Native |
No |
|
|
|
| Virgin Islands (to UK) |
Native |
No |
|
Yes |
|
| Virgin Islands (to USA) |
Native |
No |
|
Yes |
|
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory |
IBA Name |
IBA link |
| Brazil |
Baixada Maranhense |
 |
| Brazil |
Reentrâncias Maranhenses / Paraenses |
|
| Canada |
Akimiski Island |
|
| Canada |
Barre de Portneuf |
|
| Canada |
Battures aux Loups Marins |
|
| Canada |
Battures de Beauport and chenal de l'île d'Orléans |
|
| Canada |
Chaplin Lake |
|
| Canada |
Cobequid Bay |
|
| Canada |
Dorchester Cape and Grand Anse |
|
| Canada |
Eastern Cape Sable Island |
|
| Canada |
Ekwan to Lakitusaki Shores |
|
| Canada |
Old Wives-Frederick Lakes |
|
| Canada |
Quill Lakes |
|
| Canada |
Saint's Rest Marsh and Beach |
|
| Canada |
Shepody Bay West |
|
| Canada |
Southern Bight, Minas Basin |
|
| Canada |
Upper Cumberland Basin |
|
| French Guiana |
Amana |
|
| French Guiana |
Ile de Cayenne |
|
| French Guiana |
Littoral |
|
| French Guiana |
Littoral Kourou |
|
| French Guiana |
Littoral Macouria |
|
| French Guiana |
Littoral Sinnamary |
|
| French Guiana |
Plaine Kaw et Pointe Béhague |
|
| Panama |
Chimán Wetlands |
|
| Panama |
Parita Bay |
|
| Panama |
Upper Bay of Panamá |
|
| Puerto Rico (to USA) |
Suroeste |
|
| Suriname |
Bigi Pan |
|
| Suriname |
Northern Commewijne/ Marowijne |
|
| Suriname |
Northern Coronie |
|
| Suriname |
Northern Saramacca |
|
| Trinidad and Tobago |
West Coast Mudflats |
|
| USA |
Teshekpuk Lake and East Dease Inlet |
|
| Venezuela |
Humedales Boca del Río Unare |
|
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) |
Habitat (level 2) |
Importance |
Occurrence |
| Grassland |
Tundra |
suitable |
breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal |
Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes |
suitable |
non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal |
Mud Flats and Salt Flats |
major |
non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal |
Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) |
suitable |
non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal |
Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc |
major |
non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) |
Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) |
suitable |
breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) |
Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) |
suitable |
breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) |
Permanent Inland Deltas |
suitable |
breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) |
Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) |
suitable |
breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) |
Tundra Wetlands (incl. pools and temporary waters from snowmelt) |
major |
breeding |
|
Altitude
|
0 - 0 m
|
Occasional altitudinal limits
|
|
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) |
Threat (level 2) |
Impact and Stresses |
| Energy production & mining |
Mining & quarrying |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
|
Minority (<50%) |
Negligible declines |
Not specified |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion |
|
| Energy production & mining |
Oil & gas drilling |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Future |
Minority (<50%) |
Slow, Significant Decline |
Low Impact: 3 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion, Species mortality |
|
| Biological resource use |
Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources / Unintentional effects: (large scale) |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Majority (50-90%) |
Slow, Significant Decline |
Medium Impact: |
|
| Biological resource use |
Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals / Intentional use (species is the target) |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Majority (50-90%) |
Rapid Declines |
Medium Impact: |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Species mortality |
|
| Pollution |
Agricultural & forestry effluents / Herbicides and pesticides |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Minority (<50%) |
Negligible declines |
Low Impact: 4 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion, Species mortality |
|
| Climate change & severe weather |
Habitat shifting & alteration |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Future |
Whole (>90%) |
Unknown |
Unknown |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Indirect ecosystem effects, Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion |
|
| Climate change & severe weather |
Storms & flooding |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Minority (<50%) |
Unknown |
Unknown |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Species mortality |
|
Utilisation
| Purpose |
Primary form used |
Life stage used |
Source |
Scale |
Level |
Timing |
| Pets |
Whole |
Adults and juveniles |
Wild |
International |
Non-trivial |
Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Calidris pusilla. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013.
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.
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