Background information

Canadian Population Estimates

 

Landbirds

Landbird Population Categories
Landbird Population Categories
(includes breeding birds only)
< 500 adults
*only used if sufficiently detailed information is available.
< 5,000 adults
5,000 - 50,000 adults
50,000 - 500,000 adults
500,000 - 5,000,000 adults
5,000,000 - 50,000,000 adults
> 50,000,000 adults

Population estimates were extracted from the 2012 Partners in Flight (PIF) Population Assessment Database, which is a companion to PIF’s Saving Our Shared Birds: Tri-National Vision for Landbird Conservation report. Published in 2010, this report expanded upon the seminal North American Landbird Conservation Plan (2004) and provides a continental synthesis of priorities and objectives to help guide landbird conservation actions at national and international scales. To view the complete Species Assessment Database, see: http://rmbo.org/pifdb/. To view the complete North American Landbird Conservation Plan, see: https://www.partnersinflight.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/PIF-Landbird-Conservation-Plan-2004.pdf.

 

Shorebirds

Shorebird Population Categories
Shorebird Population Categories
(includes birds breeding and migrating within Canada)
< 50 adults
*only used if sufficiently detailed information is available.
< 1,000 adults
1,000 - 10,000 adults
10,000 - 50,000 adults
50,000 - 500,000 adults
500,000 - 1,000,000 adults
> 1,000,000 adults

Population size estimates were derived by Environment Canada experts based on Andres et al. (2012) and updated with published or unpublished information where available. For each species, the estimates include all populations breeding within Canada as well as numbers estimated to pass through Canada on migration if the breeding grounds lie outside Canada, i.e., the total number of that species estimated to use Canada. For breeding populations, these continental estimates were then converted to population estimates for Canada using relative abundances estimates when available, estimated proportion of the range in Canada or expert opinion.

 

Seabirds and Waterbirds (not including waterfowl)

Seabird and Waterbird Population Categories
Seabird and Waterbird Population Categories
(includes breeding adults only except for seasonal visitors, which may include adults and juveniles)
Not yet available
0 adults
< 100 adults
100 - 500 adults
500 - 1,000 adults
1,000 - 10,000 adults
10,000 - 25,000 adults
25,000 - 50,000 adults
50,000 - 100,000 adults
100,000 - 200,000 adults
200,000 - 300,000 adults
300,000 - 400,000 adults
400,000 - 500,000 adults
500,000 - 600,000 adults
700,000 - 800,000 adults
> 1,000,000 adults
> 2,000,000 adults
> 3,000,000 adults
> 10,000,000 adults

Revised population estimates of regional seabird and waterbird populations were provided by Environment Canada staff in 2014 using published and unpublished information. These regional estimates were summed to determine the population estimate for Canada. Final estimates were reviewed by Environment Canada’s Waterbird Technical Committee. For colonial-nesting species, population estimates were derived from colony counts of nests or breeding pairs conducted during the nesting season. For other waterbirds, population estimates were derived from information obtained through dedicated monitoring protocols (e.g., acoustic sampling for elusive marsh birds and counts at migratory staging areas).

 

Waterfowl

Waterfowl Population Categories
Waterfowl Population Categories
1,000 - 10,000 birds
10,000 - 25,000 birds
25,000 - 50,000 birds
50,000 - 100,000 birds
100,000 - 500,000 birds
500,000 - 1,000,000 birds
1,000,000 - 5,000,000 birds
5,000,000 - 10,000,000 birds
> 10,000,000 birds

Population estimates were extracted from the Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada report. The estimates were obtained during waterfowl aerial surveys conducted mostly during the breeding season and on the staging and wintering areas. To view the Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada reports, see: http://www.ec.gc.ca/rcom-mbhr/default.asp?lang=en&n=762c28ab-1.

References

  • Andres, B.A., P.A. Smith, R.I.G. Morrison, C.L. Gratto-Trevor, S.C. Brown, and C.A. Friis. 2012. Population estimates of North American shorebirds, 2012. Wader Study Group Bulletin 119(3):178–194.
  • Canadian Wildlife Service Waterfowl Committee. 2014. Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada: November 2014. CWS Migratory Birds Regulatory Report Number 44.