IUCN Red List Criteria
| Critically Endangered |
C2a(ii) |
| Endangered |
D |
| Vulnerable |
D1 |
IUCN Red List history
| Year |
Category |
| 2012 |
Critically Endangered |
| 2010 |
Critically Endangered |
| 2009 |
Critically Endangered |
| 2008 |
Critically Endangered |
| 2007 |
Critically Endangered |
| 2004 |
Vulnerable |
| 2000 |
Endangered |
| 1996 |
Endangered |
| 1994 |
Endangered |
| 1988 |
Threatened |
Species attributes
| Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type |
|
Average mass |
- |
Distribution
| |
Estimate |
Data quality |
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) |
46 |
medium |
| Number of locations |
11-100 |
- |
| Fragmentation |
|
- |
Population & trend
| |
Estimate |
Data quality |
Derivation |
Year of estimate |
| No. of mature individuals |
50-249 |
good |
Estimated |
2010 |
| Population trend |
Increasing |
medium |
|
- |
| Number of subpopulations |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
| Largest subpopulation |
|
- |
- |
- |
| Generation length (yrs) |
5.2 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Population justification: The population has been estimated at 200-220 mature individuals (T. Prater in litt. 2006). However, surveys in 2008 and 2010 found 373 and 397 mature individuals respectively, and the population also exceeded 250 mature individuals in 2007 (F. Burns in litt. 2008). Therefore, although a population estimate of 50-249 mature individuals is precautionarily retained here, if the number of mature individuals remains above this threshold over the five year period, without a continuing decline, it is likely to qualify for downlisting. This banded estimate is equivalent to 75-374 individuals in total, rounded here to 70-400 individuals. |
|
Trend justification: Surveys in 1988-1989 (giving a total of c.450 individuals), repeated in 1998-1999, revealed large declines at all-important pastureland sites. Fieldwork in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 suggested populations had stabilised at c.350 adults, but survey data from 2005 and 2006 showed further evidence of a decline with an estimated 200-220 mature individuals. A full survey in 2008 located 373 adults, an increase of 16% from 2007, and there was a further population increase to 397 adults in 2010, indicating that some recovery has taken place (F. Burns in litt. 2008, Ellick et al. in litt. 2010), although only 350 adults were counted in 2011 (E. Duff in litt. 2011). The cause of these apparent fluctuations is still unclear. An overall decline of 20-29% is estimated to have occurred within the last 16 years or three generations. |
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory |
Occurrence status |
Extinct |
Breeding |
Non-breeding |
Passage |
| St Helena (to UK) |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory |
IBA Name |
IBA link |
| St Helena (to UK) |
North-east St Helena |
 |
| St Helena (to UK) |
South-west St Helena |
|
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) |
Habitat (level 2) |
Importance |
Occurrence |
| Artificial/Terrestrial |
Arable Land |
marginal |
resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial |
Pastureland |
major |
resident |
| Grassland |
Temperate |
major |
resident |
| Other |
|
suitable |
resident |
|
Altitude
|
160 - 680 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 |
| Future |
Minority (<50%) |
Very Rapid Declines |
Low Impact: 5 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion |
|
| Residential & commercial development |
Housing & urban areas |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Minority (<50%) |
Rapid Declines |
Medium Impact: |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion |
|
| Residential & commercial development |
Tourism & recreation areas |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Future |
Minority (<50%) |
Rapid Declines |
Low Impact: 4 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Species disturbance, Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion, Reduced reproductive success |
|
| Human intrusions & disturbance |
Recreational activities |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Minority (<50%) |
Negligible declines |
Low Impact: 4 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Species disturbance, Reduced reproductive success |
|
| Natural system modifications |
Other ecosystem modifications |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Majority (50-90%) |
Very Rapid Declines |
High Impact: 8 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion |
|
| Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases |
Problematic native species/diseases |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Past, Likely to Return |
Minority (<50%) |
Unknown |
Past Impact |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Reduced reproductive success |
|
| Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases |
Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases / Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Majority (50-90%) |
Negligible declines |
Low Impact: 5 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Reduced reproductive success |
|
| Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases |
Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases / Domestic Cat (Felis catus) |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Majority (50-90%) |
Negligible declines |
Low Impact: 5 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Reduced reproductive success |
|
Utilisation
| Purpose |
Primary form used |
Life stage used |
Source |
Scale |
Level |
Timing |
| Sport |
Whole |
Adults and juveniles |
Wild |
Subsistence, National |
Non-trivial |
Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Charadrius sanctaehelenae. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013.
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.
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