Limosa lapponica

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

View Printer Friendly

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	CHARADRIIFORMES	SCOLOPACIDAE

Scientific Name:

Limosa lapponica

Species Authority:

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Bar-tailed Godwit
French	–	Barge rousse

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2009

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Bird, J., Butchart, S.

Justification:
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History:

2008	–	Least Concern
2004	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Countries:	Native: Algeria; American Samoa; Angola; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belgium; Benin; Botswana; British Indian Ocean Territory; Brunei Darussalam; Bulgaria; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Cape Verde; China; Comoros; Congo; Côte d'Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Fiji; Finland; France; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Guam; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kiribati; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Marshall Islands; Mauritania; Mayotte; Moldova; Mongolia; Morocco; Mozambique; Namibia; Nauru; Netherlands; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Nigeria; Niue; Northern Mariana Islands; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Qatar; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saint Helena; Samoa; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Slovakia; Solomon Islands; Somalia; South Africa; Spain; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Taiwan, Province of China; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tonga; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uzbekistan; Vanuatu; Viet Nam; Western Sahara; Yemen; Zambia Vagrant: Afghanistan; Belarus; Bermuda; Brazil; Burundi; Christmas Island; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Equatorial Guinea; Faroe Islands; French Southern Territories (the); Gibraltar; Jordan; Lebanon; Liberia; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Montenegro; Réunion; Romania; Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Sao Tomé and Principe; Serbia; Slovenia; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Venezuela; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Zimbabwe
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Countries:

Native:

Algeria; American Samoa; Angola; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belgium; Benin; Botswana; British Indian Ocean Territory; Brunei Darussalam; Bulgaria; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Cape Verde; China; Comoros; Congo; Côte d'Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Fiji; Finland; France; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Guam; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kiribati; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Marshall Islands; Mauritania; Mayotte; Moldova; Mongolia; Morocco; Mozambique; Namibia; Nauru; Netherlands; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Nigeria; Niue; Northern Mariana Islands; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Qatar; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saint Helena; Samoa; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Slovakia; Solomon Islands; Somalia; South Africa; Spain; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Taiwan, Province of China; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tonga; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uzbekistan; Vanuatu; Viet Nam; Western Sahara; Yemen; Zambia

Vagrant:

Afghanistan; Belarus; Bermuda; Brazil; Burundi; Christmas Island; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Equatorial Guinea; Faroe Islands; French Southern Territories (the); Gibraltar; Jordan; Lebanon; Liberia; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Montenegro; Réunion; Romania; Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Sao Tomé and Principe; Serbia; Slovenia; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Venezuela; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Zimbabwe

Range Map:

Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Behaviour This species is a full long-distance migrant¹. It breeds from late-May to August² in solitary pairs¹, although it may also form small colonies⁴. After breeding adults disperse to coastal moulting sites, the onward migration to wintering grounds then continuing into October and November². The species often flies in large flocks² and forages in groups outside of the breeding season¹, occasionally aggregating into huge flocks of several hundreds of thousands of individuals at favoured sites (e.g. in Mauritania)². Habitat Breeding The species breeds in marshy, swampy areas in lowland moss and shrub tundra^{1, 3, 4} near wet river valleys³, lakes and sedge bogs⁴, as well as on swampy heathlands in the willow and birch zone near the Arctic treeline³, in open larch Larix spp. woodland close to water¹, and occasionally on open bogs in the extreme north of the coniferous forest zone³. Non-breeding On passage the species may frequent inland wetlands², sandy beaches with pine Pinus spp. stands, swampy lowlands near lakes⁴ and short-grass meadows, but during the winter it is more common in intertidal areas along muddy coastlines, estuaries, inlets, mangrove-fringed lagoons and sheltered bays¹ with tidal mudflats or sandbars³. Diet Breeding When breeding the species feeds on insects, annelid worms, molluscsand occasionally seeds and berries¹. Non-breeding In intertidal areas the species's diet consists of annelids (e.g. Nereis spp. and Arenicola spp.), bivalves and crustaceans, although it will also take cranefly larvae and earthworms on grasslands and occasionally larval amphibians (tadpoles) and small fish¹. Breeding site The nest is a depression positioned on a dry elevated site¹ such as a tundra ridge³ or hummock⁴, often between clumps of grass¹ or under a thicket⁴. Management information In the UK there is evidence that the removal of Spartina anglica from tidal mudflats using a herbicide is beneficial for the species⁵.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour This species is a full long-distance migrant¹. It breeds from late-May to August² in solitary pairs¹, although it may also form small colonies⁴. After breeding adults disperse to coastal moulting sites, the onward migration to wintering grounds then continuing into October and November². The species often flies in large flocks² and forages in groups outside of the breeding season¹, occasionally aggregating into huge flocks of several hundreds of thousands of individuals at favoured sites (e.g. in Mauritania)². Habitat Breeding The species breeds in marshy, swampy areas in lowland moss and shrub tundra^{1, 3, 4} near wet river valleys³, lakes and sedge bogs⁴, as well as on swampy heathlands in the willow and birch zone near the Arctic treeline³, in open larch Larix spp. woodland close to water¹, and occasionally on open bogs in the extreme north of the coniferous forest zone³. Non-breeding On passage the species may frequent inland wetlands², sandy beaches with pine Pinus spp. stands, swampy lowlands near lakes⁴ and short-grass meadows, but during the winter it is more common in intertidal areas along muddy coastlines, estuaries, inlets, mangrove-fringed lagoons and sheltered bays¹ with tidal mudflats or sandbars³. Diet Breeding When breeding the species feeds on insects, annelid worms, molluscsand occasionally seeds and berries¹. Non-breeding In intertidal areas the species's diet consists of annelids (e.g. Nereis spp. and Arenicola spp.), bivalves and crustaceans, although it will also take cranefly larvae and earthworms on grasslands and occasionally larval amphibians (tadpoles) and small fish¹. Breeding site The nest is a depression positioned on a dry elevated site¹ such as a tundra ridge³ or hummock⁴, often between clumps of grass¹ or under a thicket⁴. Management information In the UK there is evidence that the removal of Spartina anglica from tidal mudflats using a herbicide is beneficial for the species⁵.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The species is threatened by the degradation of foraging sites due to land reclamation, pollution, human disturbance^{1, 6}, reduced river flows⁶ and in some areas the invasion of mudflats and coastal saltmarshes by mangroves (owing to sea-level rise and increased sedimentation and nutrient loads at the coast from uncontrolled development and soil erosion in upstream catchment areas)⁸. The species is also susceptible to avian influenza so may be threatened by future outbreaks of the virus⁷.

Major Threat(s):

The species is threatened by the degradation of foraging sites due to land reclamation, pollution, human disturbance^{1, 6}, reduced river flows⁶ and in some areas the invasion of mudflats and coastal saltmarshes by mangroves (owing to sea-level rise and increased sedimentation and nutrient loads at the coast from uncontrolled development and soil erosion in upstream catchment areas)⁸. The species is also susceptible to avian influenza so may be threatened by future outbreaks of the virus⁷.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Limosa lapponica. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 07 February 2012.
Disclaimer:	To make use of this information, please check the <Terms of Use>.
Feedback:	If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please fill in the feedback form so that we can correct or extend the information provided