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The Solitary Sandpiper breeds in muskeg and wooded swamps of the boreal region, laying its eggs in abandoned nests of songbirds. It migrates both overland and offshore to subtropical and tropical wintering grounds. It is difficult to study and monitor throughout the year. Continent-wide surveys of southbound migrants and breeding season surveys in Canada both suggest that the population that has changed little overall. While the population status of Solitary Sandpiper within Canada is considered uncertain, it has likely changed little or possibly increased slightly relative to 1970. Threats faced by the species are also poorly understood. With over 85% of the global breeding population, Canada's responsibility for the species is very high. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Despite being widespread in Canada, the Solitary Sandpiper remains poorly known. Its remote breeding habitats are difficult to access and it migrates in small numbers or individually through a variety of habitats not used extensively by other migrant shorebirds, such as wooded swamps. Poor knowledge of the species' ecology and status makes management challenging. It has apparently not lost much breeding habitat (Moskoff 2011), although climate change is expected to have a negative effect on boreal-breeding shorebirds through increased disturbance and displacement (e.g., increased fire frequency, duration and intensity, and loss of wetland habitat to forest drying - especially in the southern boreal; Stewart et al. 1998, Soja et al. 2006). Also, because the northern limit of the boreal forest is expected to advance much more slowly than the encroaching deciduous forests and grasslands from the south, reduction in the overall size of the boreal forest and thus available breeding habitat is possible (Stewart et al. 1998, Soja et al. 2006).
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.
