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closeIUCN 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 | 42.2 g |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 6,830,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 19,100,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Decreasing | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 3.9 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: The global population is estimated to number > c.40,000,000 individuals (Rich et al. 2004), while national population sizes have been estimated at < c.1,000 wintering individuals and < c.50 individuals on migration in Japan and c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs, c.1,000-10,000 individuals on migration and c.50-1,000 wintering individuals in Russia (Brazil 2009). | ||||
| Trend justification: This species has undergone a large and statistically significant decrease over the last 40 years in North America (-63.6% decline over 40 years, equating to a -22.3% decline per decade; data from Breeding Bird Survey and/or Christmas Bird Count: Butcher a. | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Vagrant | No | |||
| Austria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bahamas | Native | No | |||
| Belarus | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Belgium | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bermuda (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Vagrant | No | |||
| Bulgaria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Canada | Native | No | Yes | ||
| China (mainland) | Native | No | |||
| Croatia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Czech Republic | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Denmark | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Estonia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Native | No | |||
| Finland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| France | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Germany | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Greece | Vagrant | No | |||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Native | No | |||
| Hungary | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Iceland | Native | No | |||
| Ireland | Native | No | |||
| Italy | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Japan | Native | No | |||
| Kazakhstan | Native | No | |||
| Latvia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Lithuania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Luxembourg | Vagrant | No | |||
| Malta | Vagrant | No | |||
| Mongolia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Montenegro | Vagrant | No | |||
| Morocco | Vagrant | No | |||
| Netherlands | Native | No | Yes | ||
| North Korea | Vagrant | No | |||
| Norway | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Poland | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Portugal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Romania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (Asian) | Native | No | |||
| Russia (Central Asian) | Native | No | |||
| Russia (European) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Serbia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Slovakia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Slovenia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| South Korea | Native | No | |||
| Spain | Native | No | Yes | ||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Sweden | Native | No | |||
| Switzerland | Native | No | |||
| Turkey | Vagrant | No | |||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Ukraine | Native | No | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom | Native | No | |||
| USA | Native | No | Yes |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Finland | Käsivarsi fjelds |  |
| Finland | Kevo | |
| Finland | Lemmenjoki-Hammastunturi-Pulju | |
| Finland | Saariselkä and Koilliskaira | |
| Norway | Varangerfjord | |
| Russia (European) | Lapland Biosphere Reserve | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | Bjørnøya (Bear Island) | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | Inner parts of Kongsfjorden | |
| Sweden | Middagsfjället - Dörrshöjden | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grassland | Tundra | major | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Tundra | major | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands | suitable | breeding |
| Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | suitable | non-breeding | |
| Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | suitable | breeding | |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Whole (>90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| |||||||||
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Sport | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Plectrophenax nivalis. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 26/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 26/05/2013.
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.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Emberizidae (Buntings, American sparrows and allies) |
| Species name author | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 6,830,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
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