email a friend
printable version
LC
Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea

IUCN Red List history

Year Category
2012 Least Concern
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) 1,200,000 medium
Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) 15,600,000 medium
Number of locations -
Fragmentation -

Population & trend

  Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
No. of mature individuals poor Estimated 2009
Population trend Increasing -
Number of subpopulations - - -
Largest subpopulation - - -
Generation length (yrs) 7.6 - - -
Population justification: The global population is estimated to number c.1,800,000-1,900,000 individuals (Wetlands International, 2006), while national population estimates include: c.50-1,000 individuals on migration and < c.50 wintering individuals in Taiwan; < c.1,000 individuals on migration in Korea and c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs and c.1,000-10,000 individuals on migration in Russia (Brazil 2009).
Trend justification: The overall population trend is increasing, although some populations are decreasing, stable or have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006).

Country/Territory distribution

Country/Territory Occurrence status Extinct Breeding Non-breeding Passage
Afghanistan Native No     Yes
Albania Native No     Yes
Algeria Native No      
Angola Native No      
Anguilla (to UK) Native No      
Antigua and Barbuda Native No      
Armenia Native No      
Australia Native No      
Austria Native No      
Azerbaijan Native No     Yes
Bahrain Native No   Yes Yes
Bangladesh Native No      
Barbados Native No      
Belarus Native No      
Belgium Native No      
Benin Native No   Yes  
Bermuda (to UK) Vagrant No      
Bhutan Vagrant No      
Bosnia and Herzegovina Native No      
Botswana Native No      
British Indian Ocean Territory Native No      
Brunei Native No      
Bulgaria Native No   Yes  
Burkina Faso Native No      
Burundi Native No      
Cambodia Native No      
Cameroon Native No      
Canada Native No      
Cape Verde Native No      
Côte d'Ivoire Native No      
Central African Republic Native No      
Chad Native No      
China (mainland) Native No      
Christmas Island (to Australia) Native No      
Comoros Native No      
Congo Native No      
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Native No      
Costa Rica Native No   Yes  
Croatia Native No     Yes
Cyprus Native No      
Czech Republic Native No      
Denmark Native No     Yes
Djibouti Native No      
Dominica Native No      
Ecuador Vagrant No      
Egypt Native No      
Equatorial Guinea Native No   Yes  
Eritrea Native No      
Estonia Native No      
Ethiopia Native No      
Finland Native No     Yes
France Native No     Yes
French Southern Territories Native No      
Gabon Native No      
Gambia Native No      
Georgia Native No      
Germany Native No     Yes
Ghana Native No      
Gibraltar (to UK) Vagrant No      
Greece Native No     Yes
Grenada Vagrant No      
Guadeloupe (to France) Native No      
Guam (to USA) Native No   Yes  
Guinea Native No      
Guinea-Bissau Native No      
Hong Kong (China) Native No      
Hungary Native No      
Iceland Vagrant No      
India Native No      
Indonesia Native No      
Iran, Islamic Republic of Native No   Yes Yes
Iraq Native No     Yes
Ireland Native No      
Israel Native No      
Italy Native No     Yes
Japan Native No      
Jordan Native No     Yes
Kazakhstan Native No      
Kenya Native No      
Kuwait Native No     Yes
Kyrgyzstan Native No      
Laos Vagrant No      
Latvia Native No      
Lebanon Native No   Yes Yes
Lesotho Vagrant No      
Liberia Native No      
Libya Native No      
Luxembourg Vagrant No      
Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Native No      
Madagascar Native No      
Malawi Native No      
Malaysia Native No   Yes  
Maldives Native No      
Mali Native No      
Malta Native No      
Marshall Islands Vagrant No      
Martinique (to France) Native No      
Mauritania Native No      
Mauritius Native No      
Mayotte (to France) Native No      
Mexico Vagrant No      
Micronesia, Federated States of Native No   Yes  
Moldova Native No      
Mongolia Native No Yes    
Montenegro Native No      
Montserrat (to UK) Native No      
Morocco Native No      
Mozambique Native No      
Myanmar Native No      
Namibia Native No      
Nepal Native No      
Netherlands Native No     Yes
New Caledonia (to France) Native No      
New Zealand Native No      
Niger Native No      
Nigeria Native No      
Norway Native No     Yes
Oman Native No   Yes Yes
Pakistan Native No      
Palau Native No   Yes  
Palestinian Authority Territories Native No     Yes
Papua New Guinea Native No      
Peru Native No      
Philippines Native No      
Poland Native No     Yes
Portugal Native No   Yes  
Puerto Rico (to USA) Vagrant No      
Qatar Native No     Yes
Réunion (to France) Native No      
Romania Native No     Yes
Russia (Asian) Native No Yes    
Russia (Central Asian) Native No Yes    
Russia (European) Native No Yes   Yes
Rwanda Native No      
Saudi Arabia Native No   Yes Yes
São Tomé e Príncipe Vagrant No      
Senegal Native No      
Serbia Native No      
Seychelles Native No      
Sierra Leone Native No      
Singapore Native No      
Slovakia Native No      
Solomon Islands Native No      
Somalia Native No      
South Africa Native No      
South Korea Native No      
South Sudan Native No   Yes  
Spain Native No   Yes Yes
Sri Lanka Native No   Yes  
St Kitts and Nevis Native No      
St Lucia Native No      
St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) Vagrant No     Yes
St Vincent and the Grenadines Native No      
Sudan Native No      
Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) Vagrant No      
Swaziland Native No      
Sweden Native No     Yes
Switzerland Native No      
Syria Native No     Yes
Taiwan (China) Native No      
Tajikistan Native No      
Tanzania Native No      
Thailand Native No      
Timor-Leste Native No   Yes Yes
Togo Native No      
Trinidad and Tobago Vagrant No   Yes  
Tunisia Native No   Yes  
Turkey Native No      
Turkmenistan Native No      
Uganda Native No      
Ukraine Native No     Yes
United Arab Emirates Native No   Yes Yes
United Kingdom Native No     Yes
USA Native No Yes    
Uzbekistan Native No      
Vietnam Native No      
Virgin Islands (to UK) Vagrant No      
Western Sahara Native No      
Yemen Native No   Yes Yes
Zambia Native No      
Zimbabwe Native No      

Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria

Country/Territory IBA Name IBA link
Australia Lake MacLeod site factsheet
France Bassin d'Arcachon et Banc d'Arguin site factsheet
France Camargue site factsheet
Gabon Akanda site factsheet
Ghana Keta Lagoon Ramsar Site site factsheet
Ghana Songor Ramsar Site site factsheet
Greece Amvrakikos gulf site factsheet
Guinea-Bissau Arquipélago dos Bijagós site factsheet
Guinea-Bissau Ilha de Bolama - Rio Grande de Buba site factsheet
Guinea-Bissau Rio Mansôa and Gêba estuary site factsheet
Guinea-Bissau Rio Tombali, Rio Cumbijã and Ilha de Melo site factsheet
India Kaliveli Tank and Yeduyanthittu estuary site factsheet
Kenya Tana River Delta site factsheet
Malaysia North-central Selangor coast site factsheet
Malaysia Sadong-Saribas coast site factsheet
Mauritania Banc d'Arguin National Park site factsheet
Namibia Sandwich Harbour site factsheet
Namibia Walvis Bay site factsheet
Oman Barr al Hikman site factsheet
Romania Danube Delta site factsheet
Russia (European) Torna - Shoina watershed site factsheet
Saudi Arabia Sabkhat al-Fasl lagoons site factsheet
Senegal Delta du Saloum site factsheet
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone River Estuary site factsheet
Sierra Leone Yawri Bay site factsheet
South Africa Lower Berg river wetlands site factsheet
South Africa Olifants river estuary site factsheet
South Africa West Coast National Park and Saldanha Bay islands site factsheet
Spain Ebro delta site factsheet
Sri Lanka Amaipaddukkai site factsheet
Sri Lanka Araly South-Punalai site factsheet
Sri Lanka Periyakalapuwa mouth site factsheet
Sri Lanka Seguwantive mudflats site factsheet
Tanzania Rufiji Delta site factsheet
Tunisia Kneiss site factsheet
Tunisia Salines de Thyna site factsheet

Habitats & altitude

Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Irrigated Land (includes irrigation channels) suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Salt Exploitation Sites suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Water Storage Areas (over 8ha) suitable non-breeding
Grassland Tundra major 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 Rocky Shoreline suitable breeding
Marine Intertidal Rocky Shoreline suitable non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc suitable breeding
Marine Intertidal Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc suitable non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches suitable breeding
Marine Intertidal Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches suitable non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Tidepools suitable breeding
Marine Intertidal Tidepools suitable non-breeding
Marine Neritic Estuaries suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable non-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
Residential & commercial development Commercial & industrial areas Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Residential & commercial development Housing & urban areas Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Transportation & service corridors Roads & railroads Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources / Unintentional effects: (large scale) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Decline Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Indirect ecosystem effects
Biological resource use Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources / Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Decline Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Indirect ecosystem effects
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals / Intentional use (species is the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Decline Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Species mortality
Human intrusions & disturbance Recreational activities Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Species disturbance
Natural system modifications Dams & water management/use / Abstraction of surface water (commercial use) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Decline Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Species disturbance, Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Natural system modifications Dams & water management/use / Abstraction of surface water (unknown use) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Natural system modifications Dams & water management/use / Dams (size unknown) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Natural system modifications Other ecosystem modifications Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
None
Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases / Avian Botulism (Clostridium botulinum) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Future Minority (<50%) Rapid Declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Species mortality
Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases / Avian Influenza Timing Scope Severity Impact
Future Minority (<50%) Rapid Declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Species mortality
Climate change & severe weather Droughts Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Decline Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Climate change & severe weather Habitat shifting & alteration Timing Scope Severity Impact
Future Whole (>90%) Unknown Unknown
Stresses
Indirect ecosystem effects, Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion

Utilisation

Purpose Primary form used Life stage used Source Scale Level Timing
Food (human) Whole Adults and juveniles Wild Subsistence, National Non-trivial Recent
Sport Whole Adults and juveniles Wild Subsistence, National Non-trivial Recent

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Calidris ferruginea. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2013. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2013.

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.

Key facts
Current IUCN Red List category Least Concern
Family Scolopacidae (Sandpipers and allies)
Species name author (Pontoppidan 1763)
Population size mature individuals
Population trend Increasing
Distribution size (breeding/resident) 1,200,000 km2
Country endemic? No
Links to further information
- Summary information on this species
- Climate change species distributions