The Lesser Yellowlegs breeds in muskeg and open forests of the boreal ecozone. It winters in wetlands and agricultural fields as far north as the United States, but is most common in northern South America. Surveys during fall migration and on the breeding grounds in Canada suggest large decreases in the abundance of Lesser Yellowlegs since about 1970. Like several other shorebird species, Lesser Yellowlegs are still shot in large numbers on the non-breeding grounds, especially the Caribbean, by sport and subsistence hunters. With about 80% of the global breeding population, Canada's responsibility for the species is very high. The Lesser Yellowlegs is in the early stages of 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.
Recent estimates suggest that 5,700-19,900 Lesser Yellowlegs are shot annually for sport in Barbados (Wege et al. 2014), although shorebird conservation is increasingly recognised as an issue there (Burke 2009). Sport and subsistence hunting continue to threaten the species elsewhere during migration and winter (Tibbitts and Moskoff 2014), but quantitative estimates of harvest are lacking for many regions. Climate change is expected to have a negative effect on boreal shorebird breeding habitat through increased fire frequency and intensity, and loss of wetland habitat to forest drying - especially in the southern boreal (Stewart et al. 1998, Soja et al. 2006). Because the northern limit of the boreal forest is expected to advance much more slowly than the encroaching deciduous forests and grasslands from the south, reduction in the overall size of the boreal forest and thus available breeding habitat is possible (Stewart et al. 1998, Soja et al. 2006).
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.
