Shorebird Research
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With its vast size and geographic position at the northern end of several migration pathways, Alaska is a critically important site for the world’s shorebirds. Thirty-seven shorebird species regularly breed in Alaska. Most of these species conduct epically long migrations to take advantage of Alaska’s abundant food resources and breeding habitat, making Alaska a global resource for shorebirds. Shorebird research at the USGS Alaska Science Center improves our knowledge of shorebirds and addresses key questions for management agencies about the distribution and abundance of these species.
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Bar-tailed godwit "Z0" instrumented with an implanted Argos satellite transmitter (note dorsally exposed antenna) to facilitate aerodynamics during the species non-stop flights across the Pacific Ocean.
(Credit: Daniel Ruthrauff, USGS. Public domain.)
Population Status and Ecology of North Pacific Shorebirds
Research on the population status and ecology of shorebirds in Alaska focuses on identifying critical phases of the annual cycle for these species. Because ninety percent of the migratory shorebird species in the Western Hemisphere have breeding populations in Alaska, our current research necessarily incorporates work that describes migratory routes and connections between Alaska and sites around the globe where these species stopover or spend the nonbreeding season. Such studies require large-scale, collaborative efforts that employ a variety of techniques to gain perspectives appropriate to the scale and range of these highly migratory species. Information from these studies is guiding conservation efforts and helping scientists and conservation groups to better understand the effects of global-scale threats to shorebirds, including habitat modification and degradation, climate change, and the spread of infectious diseases.
Species scientists are working with include:
Bristle-thighed Curlew.
(Credit: Rachel M. Richardson, USGS. Public domain.)
Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
There are four species of godwits distributed around the world.
Under the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, they are a species of High Concern mainly due to their small population size, threats to their non-breeding grounds (especially at migratory stopover sites in the Yellow Sea), and their relatively restricted breeding distribution within the United States
Bristle-thighed Curlew (Numenius tahitiensis)
The Bristle-thighed Curlew breeds only in North America. Its adult population numbers about 7,000 individuals, making it the rarest of the New World curlews and godwits.
Due to their small population and threats to their nonbreeding grounds, the Bristle-thighed Curlew is a species of High Concern under the US Shorebird Conservation Plan and a Vulnerable species according to BirdLife International.
The Long-billed Curlew is the largest North American shorebird and is characterized by its long and decurved bill.
(Credit: USGS. Public domain.)
Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)
The Long-billed Curlew is the largest shorebird in North America.
Under the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, they are a species of High Concern mainly due to population declines over parts of their range, their small population size, and threats to their non-breeding and breeding grounds.
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Whimbrels are similar in plumage but slightly smaller than Bristle-thighed Curlews.
Whimbrel on the tundra on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska.
(Credit: Rachel Richardson, USGS. Public domain.)
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Date published: August 13, 2018Status: ActiveChanging Arctic Ecosystems
Arctic regions of Alaska are important for cultural and economic sustainability and host a wide variety of wildlife species, many of which are of conservation and management interest to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The USGS and collaborators provide information about Arctic ecosystems that are used by Arctic residents, management agencies, and industry.
Contacts: John M Pearce, Ph.D.
Physiomorphic transformation in extreme endurance migrants: Revisiting the case of bar-tailed godwits preparing for trans-pacific flights
In a 1998 paper entitled “Guts don’t fly: small digestive organs in obese bar-tailed godwits,” Piersma and Gill (1998) showed that the digestive organs were tiny and the fat loads huge in individuals suspected of embarking on a non-stop flight from Alaska to New Zealand. It was suggested that prior to migratory departure, these godwits...
Piersma, Theunis; Gill, Robert E.; Ruthrauff, Daniel R. Diverse patterns of migratory timing, site use, and site fidelity by Alaska-breeding Whimbrels
Birds that conduct long-distance migrations exhibit varied patterns of consistency in migratory timing and site use. Understanding variation in these traits among populations can help uncover mechanisms driving migratory behaviors and identify potential population threats. Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) are long-distance migratory shorebirds with a...
Ruthrauff, Daniel R.; Harwood, Christopher M.; Tibbitts, Lee; Warnock, Nils; Gill, Robert E. When a typical jumper skips: Itineraries and staging habitats used by Red Knots (Calidris canutus piersmai) migrating between northwest Australia and the New Siberian Islands
The ecological reasons for variation in avian migration, with some populations migrating across thousands of kilometres between breeding and non-breeding areas with one or few refuelling stops, in contrast to others that stop more often, remain to be pinned down. Red Knots Calidris canutus are a textbook example of a shorebird species...
Piersma, Theunis; Kok, Eva; Hassell, Chris J.; Verkuil, Yvonne I.; Lei, Guangchun; Peng, He-Bo; Rakhimberdiev, Eldar; Howey, Paul; Chan, Ying-Chi; Tibbitts, Lee; Karagicheva, Julia Shorebird reproductive response to exceptionally early and late springs varies across sites in Arctic Alaska
While increases in overall temperatures are widely reported in the Arctic, large inter-annual variation in spring weather, with extreme early and late conditions, is also occurring. Using data collected from three sites in Arctic Alaska, we explored how shorebird breeding density, nest initiation, nest synchrony, nest survival, and phenological...
McGuire, Rebecca L; Lanctot, Richard B.; Saalfeld, Sarah T.; Ruthrauff, Daniel R.; Liebezeit, Joe
Shorebird research at the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center
Shorebirds—which include sandpipers, plovers, and oystercatchers—are perhaps best known by their presence on sandy beaches, running along the water’s edge while they probe for food. But they are probably less recognized for their impressive long-distance migrations. Millions of individuals travel from across the globe to breed throughout Alaska...
Ruthrauff, Dan; Tibbitts, T. Lee; Pearce, John Annual adult survival drives trends in Arctic-breeding shorebirds but knowledge gaps in other vital rates remain
Conservation status and management priorities are often informed by population trends. Trend estimates can be derived from population surveys or models, but both methods are associated with sources of uncertainty. Many Arctic-breeding shorebirds are thought to be declining based on migration and/or overwintering population surveys, but data are...
Weiser, Emily L.; Lanctot, Richard B.; Brown, Stephen C.; Gates, H. River; Bety, Joel; Boldenow, Megan L.; Brook, Rodney W.; Brown, Glen S.; English, Willow B.; Flemming, Scott A.; Franks, Samantha E.; Gilchrist, H. Grant; Giroux, Marie-Andree; Johnson, Andrew; Kendall, Steve; Kennedy, Lisa V.; Koloski, Laura; Kwon, Eunbi; Lamarre, Jean-Francois; Lank, David B.; Latty, Christopher J.; Lecomte, Nicolas; Liebezeit, Joseph R.; McGuire, Rebecca L; McKinnon, Laura; Nol, Erica; Payer, David C.; Perz, Johanna; Rausch, Jennie; Robards, Martin D.; Saalfeld, Sarah T.; Senner, Nathan R.; Smith, Paul A.; Soloviev, Mikhail; Solovyeva, Diana V; Ward, David H.; Woodard, Paul F.; Sandercock, Brett K. A red knot as a black swan: How a single bird shows navigational abilities during repeat crossings of the Greenland Icecap
Despite the wealth of studies on seasonal movements of birds between southern nonbreeding locations and High Arctic breeding locations, the key mechanisms of navigation during these migrations remain elusive. A flight along the shortest possible route between pairs of points on a sphere (‘orthodrome’) requires a bird to be able to assess its...
Kok, Eva; Tibbitts, T. Lee; Douglas, David C.; Howey, Paul; Dekinga, Anne; Gnep, Benjamin; Piersma, Theunis Tracking the migration of Pacific Golden-Plovers from nonbreeding grounds at Moorea, French Polynesia, using Pinpoint GPS-Argos tags
We used Pinpoint GPS-Argos tags to track migration of Pacific Golden-Plovers Pluvialis fulva in 2017 and 2018 from Moorea Island, at the extreme southeastern edge of the species’ winter range. Of 20 tagged birds, 13 uploaded locations during all or part of their northward migration. The birds departed in mid-April traveling a long (8,250...
Johnson, Oscar W. ; Tibbitts, T. Lee; Weber, Michael F. ; Bybee, David R. ; Goodwill, Roger H. ; Bruner, Andrea ; Smith, Errika J. ; Buss, Emmalee L.; Waddell, Trinity Q.A. ; Brooks, Daxton ; Smith, Carolyn ; Meyer, Jean-Yves Factors promoting the recolonization of Oahu, Hawaii, by Bristle-thighed Curlews
Suitable habitat for Arctic-breeding migratory shorebirds is decreasing at their traditional wintering islands and atolls in the Central Pacific Flyway (i.e., Oceania) due to habitat degradation, reclamation, and sea-level rise. To maintain the size and resiliency of their populations, migratory shorebirds will need to expand their winter ranges...
Tibbitts, T. Lee; Ruthrauff, Daniel R.; Underwood, Jared G.; Patil, Vijay P. Filling knowledge gaps in a threatened shorebird flyway through satellite tracking
Satellite‐based technologies that track individual animal movements enable the mapping of their spatial and temporal patterns of occurrence. This is particularly useful in poorly studied or remote regions where there is a need for the rapid gathering of relevant ecological knowledge to inform management actions. One such region is East Asia, where...
Yin-Chi Chan; Tibbitts, T. Lee; Tamar Lok; Chris Hassell; Peng, He-Bo; Zhijun Ma; Zhengwang Zhang; Theunis Piersma Shorebird subsistence harvest and indigenous knowledge in Alaska: Informing harvest assessment and management, and engaging users in shorebird conservation
Limited data on harvest and population parameters are major impediments to assess shorebird harvest sustainability. Because of sharp declines in shorebird populations, timely conservation efforts require approaches that account for uncertainty in harvest sustainability. We combined harvest assessment and ethnographic research to better understand...
Naves. Liliana; Keating, Jacqueline; Tibbitts, T. Lee; Ruthrauff, Daniel R. Alaska Shorebird Conservation Plan, Version III
In recognition of declines among perhaps half of Alaska’s breeding shorebirds, ongoing or emerging threats to shorebirds and their habitats, and considerable knowledge of Alaska’s shorebirds acquired over the past decade, the Alaska Shorebird Group decided that the Alaska Shorebird Conservation Plan was due for updates. Similar to Version II (2008...
Ruthrauff, Daniel R.-
Date published: November 12, 2020Information from Bird Nests Monitored on the Colville River Delta, Alaska, 2011–2018
This dataset contains nesting information for birds breeding at a site on the Colville River, Alaska, 2011–2018. Nests were located during area searches conducted by biologists, and standardized information on each nest was collected following protocols of the Arctic Shorebird Demographic Network (Brown et al. 2014).
Attribution: Alaska Science Center -
Date published: October 15, 2020Aerial Surveys of Shorebirds at Pre-migratory Staging Sites in Western Alaska, 2018-2019
These data are in one table and document the numbers of four species of shorebird counted during aerial surveys of coastal sites in western Alaska. Survey regions encompassed coastline between the mouths of the Kuskokwim and Yukon rivers, and the northern coast of the Alaska Peninsula from the mouths of the Kvichak and Naknek Rivers to Nelson Lagoon. Surveys were flown from 7-9 September 2018...
Attribution: Alaska Science Center -
Date published: June 25, 2020Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis) Measurement Data from Brazil, Texas, and Alaska
This data consists of a single table morphologic measurement data and sex as determined by behavior and genetic techniques from 362 Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) from Brazil, Texas and Alaska (1994 - 2017).
Attribution: Alaska Science Center -
Date published: May 20, 2020Nesting Habitat and Nest Survival Data for American (Pluvialis dominica) and Pacific (P. fulva) Golden-Plovers on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2012−2013
This data set contains information (in two tables) on nesting habitat and nest survival for American (Pluvialis dominica) and Pacific (P. fulva) Golden-Plovers monitored at seven study sites across an elevational gradient (28−416 m) on the Seward Peninsula in northwestern Alaska during the summers of 2012 and 2013. We used principal components analysis to reduce habitat me
Attribution: Alaska Science Center -
Date published: September 23, 2019Data from Bristle-Thighed Curlews at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, O'ahu, Hawaii, 2012-2014
This data package includes two tables of data for Bristle-thighed curlews (Numenius tahitiensis) captured 2012-2014 on the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge O'ahu, Hawaii (21.68 N, 157.95 W). One table provides capture, banding, morphology, and genetic data. The second table provides mark-resight data for estimating the size of the wintering population on Oahu in April of 2014.
Attribution: Alaska Science Center -
Date published: August 26, 2019
Bristle-Thighed Curlew (Numenius tahitiensis) Mark-Resight Encounter History from the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge and Surrounding Area, Oahu, Hawaii, 2012-2017
This data set contains one table with mark-resight observations of Bristle-thighed Curlews marked on Oahu, Hawaii, with plastic color leg flags, 2012-2017.
Attribution: Alaska Science Center -
Date published: March 1, 2019Inventory Data of Lowland-Breeding Birds and Associated Vegetation Types on the Alaska Peninsula, 2004-2007 - Base Data
These are data from a stratified random survey to inventory the birds breeding in lowlands (elevation below 100m) of the Alaska Peninsula, during summers 2004-2007. Data were collected at 792 points on 52 5-km x 5-km plots. The data are in six tables: 1) geographic coordinates of the bounding corners of each of the 52 plots, 2) geographic coordinates of each of the 792 bird count po
Attribution: Alaska Science Center -
Date published: March 1, 2019
Inventory Data of Lowland-Breeding Birds and Associated Vegetation Types on the Alaska Peninsula, 2004-2007 - Raw Data
These are raw field data from a stratified random survey to inventory the birds breeding in lowlands (elevation below 100m) of the Alaska Peninsula, during summers 2004-2007. Data were collected at 792 survey points on 52 5-km x 5-km plots. The data are in: 1) four PDF files of digitally scanned original field data forms describing each of the 52 plots, and 2) a ZIP package containi
Attribution: Alaska Science Center -
Date published: June 1, 2018Satellite Telemetry Data for Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) Captured on the Colville River, Alaska 2010-2011
This data set contains one table of geographic coordinates from a single adult male Whimbrel captured along the Colville River, Alaska, and fitted with an Argos platform terminal transmitter (PTT) satellite transmitter. Location data from the PTT were collected by the CLS Argos system. The data provided one full year of locations from this bird.
Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Bristle-thighed Curlew in Alaska
A Bristle-thighed Curlew on the tundra. This photo was taken during the Changing Arctic Ecosystems Boreal-Arctic Transition program.
Grazed grasses in coastal dunes at Makahoa Point on Oahu, Hawaii
Grazed grasses interspersed with low shrubs in coastal dunes at Makahoa Point east of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (JCNWR) on Oahu, Hawaii.
Curlews perching on the predator fence in the Ki’i Unit
Bristle-thighed Curlews perching on the predator fence in the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Oahu, Hawaii
Mowed grasses in coastal dunes of the Ki’i Unit on Oahu, Hawaii
Mowed grasses interspersed with low shrubs in coastal dunes of the Ki’i Unit in James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Ephemeral wet meadow in the Punamano Unit on Oahu, Hawaii
Ephemeral wet meadow surrounded by mowed vegetation in the Punamano Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Curlews loafing on the largest mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit
Bristle-thighed Curlews on the largest mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit in James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Curlews on small island in shallow ponds of the Ki’i Unit
Bristle-thighed Curlews on small island in shallow ponds of the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii.
Bristle-thighed Curlew on a fence post on the island of Oahu, Hawaii
Bristle-thighed Curlew on a fence post on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
Shallow ponds, mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit, Oahu, Hawaii
Shallow ponds and mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit. Habitats and areas used by Bristle-thighed Curlews in the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii.
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Date published: June 7, 2018Story Map of the Incredible Migration of Whimbrels
This story map describes the work of researchers from different organizations that document the migration of Whimbrels breeding in North America. Focusing on three individual birds from different parts of the species' breeding range, researchers used externally mounted solar-powered transmitters to monitor migratory movements and identify sites and habitats important to migratory shorebirds...
Attribution: Alaska Science Center -
Date published: March 11, 2014"Ultra Marathon Champion" Bird May Plan Flights Based on Weather Across Pacific
A recent U.S. Geological Survey-led study of the bar-tailed godwit, a shorebird known famously as the ultimate marathon champion of bird flight, suggests that these birds can sense broad weather patterns and optimally time their long, nonstop, transoceanic migrations to destinations thousands of miles away.
Attribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: January 30, 2013Coping with the Cold - How Rock Sandpipers Survive Alaskan Winters
The upper Cook Inlet is the world's coldest site that regularly supports wintering shorebirds. The rock sandpiper is the only shorebird found in this region during winter and is a species that is uniquely adapted to survive the winter chill, according to new research by biologists with the USGS Alaska Science Center.
Attribution: Region 11: Alaska