IUCN Red List Criteria
| Critically Endangered |
|
| Endangered |
|
| Vulnerable |
A2ac+3c+4ac |
IUCN Red List history
| Year |
Category |
| 2012 |
Vulnerable |
| 2010 |
Vulnerable |
| 2008 |
Vulnerable |
| 2006 |
Vulnerable |
| 2004 |
Vulnerable |
| 2000 |
Vulnerable |
| 1996 |
Vulnerable |
| 1994 |
Vulnerable |
| 1988 |
Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status |
full migrant |
Forest dependency |
Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type |
shelf island
|
Average mass |
377 g
|
Distribution
| |
Estimate |
Data quality |
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) |
122,000 |
medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) |
12,200,000 |
medium |
| Area of Occupancy breeding/resident (km2) |
1,740 |
medium |
| Number of locations |
12 |
- |
| Fragmentation |
|
- |
Population & trend
| |
Estimate |
Data quality |
Derivation |
Year of estimate |
| No. of mature individuals |
|
medium |
Estimated |
2002 |
| Population trend |
Decreasing |
good |
|
- |
| Number of subpopulations |
2-100 |
- |
- |
- |
| Largest subpopulation |
1001-10000 |
- |
- |
- |
| Generation length (yrs) |
12.9 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Population justification: There are an estimated 160,000-180,000 breeding adults in Alaska (Kushlan et al. 2002) and 17,000 pairs in the Commander Islands, Russia, (del Hoyo et al. 1996), which gives a global population estimate of 337,000-377,000 mature individuals, and the population is therefore best placed in the band 100,000-499,999 individuals. Brazil (2009) has estimated the population in Russia at c.100-10,000 breeding pairs and c.50-1,000 individuals on migration. |
Trend justification: From the mid-1970s to mid-1990s, the known population declined by c.35%. Most of this decline was on the Pribilofs: a precipitous c.44% in breeding numbers on St George, where over 80% of the 1970s population bred. The small population on St Paul declined by 55% over the same period, and continues to decline (H. Renner in litt. 2012). The population on St George has apparently stabilised at c.123,000 birds (Dragoo et al. 2000, Dragoo et al. 2001) and has recovered to numbers similar to the 1970s (H. Renner in litt. 2012). The second largest colony on Bering Island contained 12% of the population in the mid-1970s but the decline on the Pribilofs had increased this to 18% by the mid-1990s. There is some evidence of a slight decline on the Commander Islands, but no counts are available prior to the late 1980s and it is unclear whether this is a trend or just interannual fluctuations. No other colony holds more than 2% of the population, but the number of nests had increased threefold on the Bogoslof Islands and twofold on Buldir Island by the mid-1990s (Byrd et al. 1997). The population at Buldir appears to be stable (H. Renner in litt. 2012). Therefore, although there are recent signs of increases, and the overall population may have stablised, it is still estimated to have declined at 30-49% over 44 years (three generations).
|
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory |
Occurrence status |
Extinct |
Breeding |
Non-breeding |
Passage |
| Canada |
Native |
No |
|
Yes |
|
| Japan |
Vagrant |
No |
|
|
|
| Russia (Asian) |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
| USA |
Native |
No |
Yes |
|
|
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory |
IBA Name |
IBA link |
| Russia (Asian) |
Commander islands |
 |
| USA |
Bogoslof Island and Fire Island |
|
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) |
Habitat (level 2) |
Importance |
Occurrence |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal |
Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands |
major |
breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Macroalgal/Kelp |
major |
breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Macroalgal/Kelp |
major |
non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Pelagic |
major |
breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Pelagic |
major |
non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Seagrass (Submerged) |
major |
breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Seagrass (Submerged) |
major |
non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel |
major |
non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel |
major |
breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs |
major |
non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs |
major |
breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Subtidal Sandy |
major |
non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Subtidal Sandy |
major |
breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Subtidal Sandy-Mud |
major |
non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic |
Subtidal Sandy-Mud |
major |
breeding |
| Marine Oceanic |
Epipelagic (0-200m) |
suitable |
breeding |
| Marine Oceanic |
Epipelagic (0-200m) |
suitable |
non-breeding |
|
Altitude
|
0 - 0 m
|
Occasional altitudinal limits
|
|
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) |
Threat (level 2) |
Impact and Stresses |
| Biological resource use |
Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources / Unintentional effects: (large scale) |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Majority (50-90%) |
Rapid Declines |
Medium Impact: |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Indirect ecosystem effects, Reduced reproductive success |
|
| 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 |
|
| Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases |
Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases / Unspecified rats (Rattus spp.) |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Future |
Majority (50-90%) |
Rapid Declines |
Low Impact: 5 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Reduced reproductive success, 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 |
Temperature extremes |
Timing |
Scope |
Severity |
Impact |
| Ongoing |
Whole (>90%) |
Rapid Declines |
High Impact: 8 |
| Stresses |
|---|
| Indirect ecosystem effects, Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion, Reduced reproductive success |
|
Utilisation
| Purpose |
Primary form used |
Life stage used |
Source |
Scale |
Level |
Timing |
| Food (human) |
Whole |
Adults and juveniles |
Wild |
Subsistence, National |
Non-trivial |
Recent |
| Food (human) |
Whole |
Adults |
Wild |
Subsistence, National |
Non-trivial |
Recent |
| Food (human) |
Whole |
Nestlings |
Wild |
Subsistence, National |
Non-trivial |
Recent |
| Food (human) |
Whole |
Eggs |
Wild |
Subsistence, National |
Non-trivial |
Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Rissa brevirostris. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
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.
email a friend
printable version
close