Stilt Sandpiper
(Calidris himantopus)

Overview

Summary

© Charles M. Francis, CWS
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

Stilt Sandpipers breed in moist tundra of subarctic and Low Arctic North America. Some individuals winter in coastal areas as far north as South Carolina, but the majority winter in the grasslands of interior South America. Surveys during fall migration suggest a moderate decrease in the abundance of Stilt Sandpipers relative to about 1970. With a large percentage 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.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation

General nesting period in Canada

Conservation and management

The breeding range of the Stilt Sandpiper overlaps with that of several populations of over-abundant Arctic geese. Geese can degrade tundra habitats by grazing on grasses, sedges, and their rhizomes (Alisauskas et al. 2006); this modified habitat often supports lower densities of shorebirds (e.g.,Sammler et al. 2008, Hines et al. 2010). The apparent decreases in the abundance of Stilt Sandpipers in Canada could be partially a consequence of over-abundant geese and degraded habitats in the Canadian portion of their range, but loss and/or degradation of wintering and staging habitats could also be a factor. Recent work on this topic will hopefully clarify whether geese are having population-level impacts on shorebirds, or if the negative impacts being reported are only occurring locally around goose colonies.

Bird conservation region strategies

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:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Alisauskas, R.T., J.W. Charlwood and D.K. Kellett. 2006. Vegetation correlates of the history and density of nesting by Ross's Geese and Lesser Snow Geese at Karrak Lake, Nunavut. Arctic 59:201-210. Alisauskas, R.T., J.W. Charlwood and D.K. Kellett. 2006. Vegetation correlates of the history and density of nesting by Ross's Geese and Lesser Snow Geese at Karrak Lake, Nunavut. Arctic 59:201-210. (Link)
• Hines, J.E., P.B. Latour and C.S. Machtans. 2010. The effects on lowland habitat, breeding shorebirds and songbirds in the Banks Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary Number 1 by the growing colony of Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens). Canadian Wildlife Service Occasional Paper 118, Environmen. Hines, J.E., P.B. Latour and C.S. Machtans. 2010. The effects on lowland habitat, breeding shorebirds and songbirds in the Banks Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary Number 1 by the growing colony of Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens). Canadian Wildlife Service Occasional Paper 118, Environmen. (Link)
• Klima, J. and J.R. Jehl, Jr. 2012. Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Klima, J. and J.R. Jehl, Jr. 2012. Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)
• Sammler, J.E., D.E. Andersen and S.K. Skagen. 2008. Population trends of tundra-nesting birds at Cape Churchill, Manitoba, in relation to increasing goose populations. Condor 110:325-334. Sammler, J.E., D.E. Andersen and S.K. Skagen. 2008. Population trends of tundra-nesting birds at Cape Churchill, Manitoba, in relation to increasing goose populations. Condor 110:325-334. (Link)