Dunlins breed in wetlands across the circumpolar subarctic to Mid Arctic. Three subspecies occur in North America; Calidris alpina arcticola and C. a. hudsonia breed in the western and eastern Canadian Arctic respectively, while C. a. pacifica breeds in western Alaska but winters in coastal British Columbia. These subspecies may have different population trends, but surveys done during migration, which are most representative of the Canadian population, suggest that the Dunlin population has shown a large decrease in abundance in Canada relative to about 1970. The reliability of this assessment is considered low though, since the Christmas Bird Count suggests little overall change. Habitat loss and degradation is of concern for Dunlin because they winter in heavily populated coastal areas. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Dunlin winter in coastal habitats of North America, including many areas where habitats are under significant pressure from development and disturbance. Large numbers also winter in the Central Valley of California, where intensive agriculture exposes birds to potentially harmful levels of contamination (Warnock and Gill 1996). Contaminants that are of most concern for the Dunlin include: oil (from accidental oil spills), and agricultural and industrial pollutants (Fernández et al. 2010). Climate change is expected to impact the species' arctic and subarctic breeding grounds; currently climate warming appears to have neutral or positive impacts on Dunlin nesting, however long-term effects are not known (Weiser et al. 2018).
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.
