You can use it for research or reference. To access the current site visit current site.
Surfbirds breed in high alpine tundra of Alaska and Yukon. In winter they are found in rocky, intertidal habitats along much of the Pacific coast between Alaska and southern South America. Surveys of birds wintering in Canada and the United States suggest that the North American population has changed little relative to about 1970, but specific information is lacking for the population in Canada and for those individuals wintering farther south. 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 tundra-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: reduction of tundra due to 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). Also, because Surfbirds are rarely far from the intertidal zone during the non-breeding season, they are vulnerable to oil pollution (King and Sanger 1979). Transport of oil poses risks throughout the non-breeding range, and in particular at key staging areas in coastal Alaska (Senner and McCaffery 1997).
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.