Apparent Survival of Breeding Western Sandpipers on the Yukon-Kuskokwim River Delta, Alaska

Johnson, Matthew; Ruthrauff, Daniel R.; McCaffery, Brian J.; Haig, Susan M.; Walters, Jeffrey R.

doi:10.1676/09-089.1

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This rate is similar or higher than other species of similar size (e.g. Western Sandpiper C. mauri and Semipalmated Sandpiper C. pusilla, Johnson et al 2010) and supports the assertion that rates of permanent emigration were low.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Rapid and continued population decline in the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus indicates imminent extinction unless conservation action is taken

Zöckler¹,

Syroechkovskiy

Atkinson

2010

Bird Conservation International

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SummaryThe Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus (IUCN Category: Critically Endangered) is in rapid decline. Data from across the entire breeding range (Chukotka and Koryakya in the Russian far north-east) and especially from the well-studied southern core breeding area at Meinypilgyno, confirm the continuing strong decline. At four breeding sites, where more than two counts were available for analysis, the decline was estimated at 26% per annum between 2002 and 2009, or an 88% decline over this period. Allowing for unsurveyed areas, this equates to a decline from a total population of approximately 1,000 breeding pairs in 2000 to 120-220 in 2009. Breeding studies at Meinypilgyno in 2003-2007 (not 2006) showed that the proportion of nests hatching at least one chick was 0.65 and once chicks left the nest, the mean brood size of chicks up to one week old was 1.99. Where it was possible to follow broods, 0.61 chicks fledged per nesting attempt. Survival and recruitment analysis of birds ringed at Meinypilgyno indicated that annual adult survival did not significantly differ over the 2003-2009 study but that recruitment in to the adult breeding population was effectively zero in all but one year of the study (2005). Resighting data for the last two years of the study were sparse due to very low numbers of marked adults being recorded and survival rates over the last 2-3 years of the study must therefore be treated with caution. The analysis therefore indicated that after fledging, survival during immaturity must be very low, leading to a low (or no) recruitment into an ageing population. Recent observations collated from the non-breeding areas confirm the declining trend observed in the breeding areas and imply that the main threats to the population lie along the migration route or in the wintering areas. These are poorly known although hunting in the wintering areas has been identified as a major mortality factor. Other threats include major loss of their intertidal habitats, and collection of birds on the breeding areas by specimen collectors. Improved monitoring in both the breeding and non-breeding areas as well as research on juvenile survival is recommended. Concerted international conservation action is essential if this species is to avoid extinction. This requires (i) improved understanding of the main wintering and staging areas and associated threats; (ii) addressing those threats that can be tackled with immediate effect, such as hunting; (iii) continued long-term monitoring on the breeding areas; (iv) an exploration of other potential breeding areas; (v) conservation action at all important stop-over and wintering sites along the entire flyway and (vi) consideration of a captive-breeding programme to ensure the survival of this species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Rapid and continued population decline in the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus indicates imminent extinction unless conservation action is taken

Zöckler¹,

Syroechkovskiy

Atkinson

2010

Bird Conservation International

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“…For Western Sandpipers, another breeding study, in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, also reported higher male than female apparent survival (/ ¼ 0.78 6 0.04 for males and 0.65 6 0.05 for females; Johnson et al 2010), consistent with the pattern at Nome. A more informative comparison is with survival estimates from nonbreeding sites.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Using local dispersal data to reduce bias in annual apparent survival and mate fidelity

2015

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“…In contrast, true survival was lower for female Snowy Plovers ( Charadrius nivosus ) than for males in California (Stenzel et al 2011). Furthermore, female Western Sandpipers ( Calidris mauri ) in Alaska, and Semipalmated Sandpipers ( Charadrius pusilla ) in Manitoba exhibited lower apparent survival than males, but the relative influences of dispersal and true survival were not determined (Sandercock and Gratto‐Trevor 1997, Johnson et al 2010). Female Piping Plovers in our study would have had lower apparent survival than males in some years due to lower site fidelity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survival, site fidelity, and the population dynamics of Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan

Cohen

Gratto‐Trevor

2011

Journal of Field Ornithology

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To conserve threatened species, managers require predictions about the effects of natural and anthropogenic factors on population growth that in turn require accurate estimates of survival, birth, and dispersal rates, and their correlation with natural and anthropogenic factors. For Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus), fledging rate is often more amenable to management than adult survival, and population models can be used to estimate the productivity (young produced per breeding female) necessary to maintain or increase populations for given levels of survival. We estimated true survival and site fidelity of adult and subadult (from fledging to second year) Piping Plovers breeding in Saskatchewan using mark‐resight data from 2002 to 2009. By estimating true survival rather than apparent survival (which is confounded with permanent emigration), we were able to provide more accurate projections of population trends. Average adult and subadult survival rates during our study were 0.80 and 0.57, respectively. Adult survival declined over time, possibly due in part to the loss of one breeding site to flooding. Average adult and subadult site fidelity were 0.86 and 0.46, respectively. Adult site fidelity declined during our study at two study sites, most strongly at the flooded site. Male and female Piping Plovers had similar survival rates, but males had greater site fidelity than females in some years. Based on our survival estimates, productivity needed for a stationary population was 0.75, a benchmark used for plover management on the Atlantic Coast, but not previously estimated for Prairie Canada. In stochastic simulations incorporating literature‐based variation in survival rates, productivity needed for a stationary population increased to 0.86, still lower than that previously estimated for western populations. Mean productivity for our study sites ranged from 0.87 to 0.96 fledged young per pair. Our results suggest that fledging rates of Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan were sufficient to ensure a stationary or increasing population during our study period. However, large‐scale habitat changes such as drought or anthropogenic flooding may lead to dispersal of breeding adults and possibly mortality that will increase the fledging rate needed for a stationary population.

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Apparent Survival of Breeding Western Sandpipers on the Yukon-Kuskokwim River Delta, Alaska

Cited by 11 publications

References 42 publications

Rapid and continued population decline in the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus indicates imminent extinction unless conservation action is taken

Rapid and continued population decline in the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus indicates imminent extinction unless conservation action is taken

Using local dispersal data to reduce bias in annual apparent survival and mate fidelity

Survival, site fidelity, and the population dynamics of Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan

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