Xenus cinereus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	CHARADRIIFORMES	SCOLOPACIDAE

Scientific Name:

Xenus cinereus

Species Authority:

(Güldenstädt, 1775)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Terek Sandpiper
French	–	Chevalier de Térek

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

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). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very 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: Afghanistan; Angola; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; British Indian Ocean Territory; Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; China; Comoros; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Fiji; Finland; Georgia; Guam; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Latvia; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Mayotte; Moldova; Mongolia; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; New Zealand; Northern Mariana Islands; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Qatar; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Seychelles; Singapore; Somalia; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Syrian Arab Republic; Taiwan, Province of China; Tajikistan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Togo; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United States; Uzbekistan; Viet Nam; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe Vagrant: Argentina; Belgium; Botswana; Bulgaria; Burundi; Cameroon; Canada; Christmas Island; Côte d'Ivoire; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; France; Gabon; Gambia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Jordan; Lebanon; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Lithuania; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Mauritius; Morocco; Nepal; Netherlands; New Caledonia; Nigeria; Norway; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Poland; Réunion; Romania; Rwanda; Slovakia; Spain; Swaziland; Sweden; Switzerland; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; United Kingdom
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Countries:

Native:

Afghanistan; Angola; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; British Indian Ocean Territory; Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; China; Comoros; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Fiji; Finland; Georgia; Guam; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Latvia; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Mayotte; Moldova; Mongolia; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; New Zealand; Northern Mariana Islands; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Qatar; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Seychelles; Singapore; Somalia; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Syrian Arab Republic; Taiwan, Province of China; Tajikistan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Togo; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United States; Uzbekistan; Viet Nam; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Vagrant:

Argentina; Belgium; Botswana; Bulgaria; Burundi; Cameroon; Canada; Christmas Island; Côte d'Ivoire; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; France; Gabon; Gambia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Jordan; Lebanon; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Lithuania; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Mauritius; Morocco; Nepal; Netherlands; New Caledonia; Nigeria; Norway; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Poland; Réunion; Romania; Rwanda; Slovakia; Spain; Swaziland; Sweden; Switzerland; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; United Kingdom

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 migrant¹. The East Asian population migrates along the eastern coast of the continent, whereas the populations in western Asia pass south overland through the Caspian region, the Middle East¹ or between the Ural and Volga rivers². The Finnish population flies across Eastern Europe and crosses the Mediterranean and Sahara non-stop¹. Breeding occurs between May and June¹, after which the adults depart in early-July (the juveniles departing mainly in August)², to arrive in their wintering grounds between August and October³. The return movement northward from Africa begins in late-March and continues throughout April². Many one-year-old³ and other non-breeding birds remain in the wintering grounds throughout the northern summer¹. This species is known to breed semi-collonially¹ (as many as 10 nests have been found within a square kilometer)⁴, but is mainly solitary outside of the breeding season². Occasionally it occurs in small flocks of 5-25 individuals¹, or up to 300 at tidal roosting sites³. The species is both a diurnal and nocturnal forager, but its nocturnal activities may by restricted to moonlit nights⁸. Habitat Breeding This species breeds in lowland valleys in northern boreal forest and tundra, especially on floodplains with flooded meadows and marshes, and where overgrown moist grasslands alternate with willow scrub^{1, 2}. It also frequents lakesides and marshy banks of streams, and extends to the coasts of sheltered seas in the Baltic². The species avoids mountains, fast rocky streams, steep or broken terrain, extensive open spaces and tall dense forest². Non-breeding Outside of the breeding season the species inhabits tropical coasts, especially open intertidal estuaries and mudflats, as well as coral reefs, sandy and pebbly beaches, sandbars and mudlfats at river mouths, coastal swamps, saltpans¹, coastal lagoons and saltmarsh creeks⁴. It can occasionally also be found up to 10 km inland around brackish pools and riverbeds, and often forms communal roosts in the branches of mangroves¹. During migration the species may stop-over at inland freshwater wetlands¹, such as muddy lakes or river edges³. Diet Breeding On its breeding grounds the diet of this species consists mainly of adult and larval midges (Diptera) as well as seeds¹. Non-breeding In its wintering grounds and on migration the diet of this species is more varied, consisting of a variety of insects, small molluscs, crustaceans (including crabs), spiders and annelid worms¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow depression close to water either in the open, or sheltered by short grasses³.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour This species is a full migrant¹. The East Asian population migrates along the eastern coast of the continent, whereas the populations in western Asia pass south overland through the Caspian region, the Middle East¹ or between the Ural and Volga rivers². The Finnish population flies across Eastern Europe and crosses the Mediterranean and Sahara non-stop¹. Breeding occurs between May and June¹, after which the adults depart in early-July (the juveniles departing mainly in August)², to arrive in their wintering grounds between August and October³. The return movement northward from Africa begins in late-March and continues throughout April². Many one-year-old³ and other non-breeding birds remain in the wintering grounds throughout the northern summer¹. This species is known to breed semi-collonially¹ (as many as 10 nests have been found within a square kilometer)⁴, but is mainly solitary outside of the breeding season². Occasionally it occurs in small flocks of 5-25 individuals¹, or up to 300 at tidal roosting sites³. The species is both a diurnal and nocturnal forager, but its nocturnal activities may by restricted to moonlit nights⁸. Habitat Breeding This species breeds in lowland valleys in northern boreal forest and tundra, especially on floodplains with flooded meadows and marshes, and where overgrown moist grasslands alternate with willow scrub^{1, 2}. It also frequents lakesides and marshy banks of streams, and extends to the coasts of sheltered seas in the Baltic². The species avoids mountains, fast rocky streams, steep or broken terrain, extensive open spaces and tall dense forest². Non-breeding Outside of the breeding season the species inhabits tropical coasts, especially open intertidal estuaries and mudflats, as well as coral reefs, sandy and pebbly beaches, sandbars and mudlfats at river mouths, coastal swamps, saltpans¹, coastal lagoons and saltmarsh creeks⁴. It can occasionally also be found up to 10 km inland around brackish pools and riverbeds, and often forms communal roosts in the branches of mangroves¹. During migration the species may stop-over at inland freshwater wetlands¹, such as muddy lakes or river edges³. Diet Breeding On its breeding grounds the diet of this species consists mainly of adult and larval midges (Diptera) as well as seeds¹. Non-breeding In its wintering grounds and on migration the diet of this species is more varied, consisting of a variety of insects, small molluscs, crustaceans (including crabs), spiders and annelid worms¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow depression close to water either in the open, or sheltered by short grasses³.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	In China and South Korea important migrational staging areas of this species around the coast of the Yellow Sea are being lost through land reclamation, and degraded as a result of declining river flows (from water abstraction), increased pollution, unsustainable harvesting of benthic fauna and a reduction in the amount of sediment being carried into the area by the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers^{5, 6}. This species is also potentially at risk from exposure to DDT's in southern India⁷.

Major Threat(s):

In China and South Korea important migrational staging areas of this species around the coast of the Yellow Sea are being lost through land reclamation, and degraded as a result of declining river flows (from water abstraction), increased pollution, unsustainable harvesting of benthic fauna and a reduction in the amount of sediment being carried into the area by the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers^{5, 6}. This species is also potentially at risk from exposure to DDT's in southern India⁷.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Xenus cinereus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2012.
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