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Black-bellied Plovers breed in the Arctic and winter along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts between the United States and northern South America. Results from migration monitoring surveys and the Christmas Bird Count, considered together, suggest a moderate decrease in the abundance of Black-bellied Plovers in Canada since about 1970. The number wintering in the United States appears to be more stable, as does the population trend since about the mid-1990s. Like many shorebirds, Black-bellied Plovers are sensitive to habitat degradation at their migratory stopover locations. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Climate change is expected to have a negative effect on arctic-breeding shorebirds because their conservative life-history strategy (low reproduction and long lifespan) makes it difficult for them to quickly adapt to the effects of accelerated climate change on their breeding habitat (Meltofte et al. 2007). Effects may include: drying of tundra ponds (Smol and Douglas 2007, Stow et al. 2004), shrub encroachment (Tape and Racine 2006, Callaghan et al. 2005), asynchrony of insect-chick hatch (Tulp and Schekkerman 2008) and unusual weather events (Tulp and Schekkerman 2006, Martin and Wiebe 2004). Coastal wetlands are important wintering habitats, and these may be lost through dredging or filling (Paulson 1995). Although now regulated, baitworm harvest previously reduced prey capture rates by up to 68% in the Bay of Fundy (Paulson 1995)
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.