Hudsonian Godwits in Canada breed in two disjunct populations: in the western Low Arctic and along the Hudson and James Bay coasts. A third population breeding in western Alaska occurs in central Canada on southward migration. During migration, an unknown fraction of the population stops at locations in Canada and the United States. Counts during migration monitoring surveys suggest a large decrease in the population relative to about 1970, but the reliability of these results is low. With over 90% of the global breeding population, Canada's responsibility is very high. The Hudsonian Godwit is currently undergoing assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
The Hudsonian Godwit has a small population size, with large proportions of the population aggregating at a small number of key staging and wintering sites, making the species highly vulnerable to even small-scale disturbances (Walker et al. 2011). Hunting on the non-breeding grounds remains an unknown threat in some areas of Central and South America. Although subsistence hunting occurs in North America (e.g., near the Albany River in Ontario; C. Friis, CWS, pers. comm.), it is thought to have little to no population-level effect. The impacts of climate change are a concern for the species; while all the effects of climate change are not yet known, warming regimes have been shown to affect the timing of arrival on the breeding grounds (Senner 2012). Overabundant geese have significantly degraded tundra wetlands along the Hudson and James Bay coasts, including key breeding and staging areas for the eastern segment of the population (Senner 2010). Proposed gas pipeline infrastructure in its northern breeding grounds and loss of wetland sites in migratory stopovers on the Great Plains may also be a concern (Walker et al. 2011). Pollution, habitat degradation, and disturbance at roosting sites also threaten the Hudsonian Godwit in key non-breeding areas.
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.
