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Limosa limosa
– Near Threatened
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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AVES
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Order:
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CHARADRIIFORMES
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Family:
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SCOLOPACIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Limosa limosa
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Species Authority:
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(Linnaeus, 1758)
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Common Name/s:
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BLACK-TAILED GODWIT (Eng)
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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NT ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2006
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Assessor/s:
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BirdLife International
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Evaluator/s:
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Burfield, I., Butchart, S. & Temple, H. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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Although this species is widespread and has a large global population, its numbers have reduced rapidly in parts of its range. Overall, the global population is estimated to be declining at such a rate that the species qualifies as Near Threatened. Nearly qualifies as threatened under criteria A2bc+3bc.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
| 1994 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
| 2000 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2000) |
| 2004 | - | Least Concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Limosa limosa has a large discontinuous breeding range extending from Iceland to the Russian far east, with wintering populations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia1. It occurs as three subspecies, L. l. islandica, L. l. limosa, and L. l. melanuroides. L. l. islandica breeds in Iceland, the Faeroe Islands, Shetland (United Kingdom) and the Lofoten Islands (Norway). L. l. limosa breeds across a wide area extending from Western and Central Europe to central Asia and Asiatic Russia as far east as the river Yenisey. L. l. melanuroides breeds in disjunct populations in Mongolia, northern China, Siberia (Russia) and the Russian far east. The species migrates across a broad front and has wintering grounds extending from the Republic of Ireland to Australia, encompassing the Mediterranean, sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of the Middle East, India, Indochina, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. The global population has recently been estimated at 634,000-805,000 individuals5. Population trends vary in different parts of its range. There have been large and well-documented declines in mainland Europe6,7 and in the species's Australian wintering grounds8, which hold c.50% of the wintering population of L. l. melanuroides9. However, in Central Asia the breeding population appears to be stable or fluctuating10, and in Iceland numbers are increasing (although this subpopulation is only a small part of the global population)5. A recent analysis based on published literature, survey data and expert opinions from throughout the species's range suggests that, overall, the global population may have declined at a rate approaching 30% over the last 15 years11.
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Countries:
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Native:
Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Brunei Darussalam; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chad; China; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Côte d'Ivoire; Denmark; Egypt; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Faroe Islands; Finland; France; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Guam; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Malaysia; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Micronesia, Federated States of; Moldova, Republic of; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Myanmar; Nepal; Netherlands; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Niger; Nigeria; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Romania; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Slovakia; Slovenia; Solomon Islands; Somalia; Spain; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan, Province of China; Tajikistan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uzbekistan; Viet Nam; Western Sahara; Yemen; Zambia
Vagrant:
Comoros; Djibouti; Gabon; Gibraltar; Greenland; Lebanon; Liberia; Luxembourg; Madagascar; Malawi; Maldives; Namibia; Papua New Guinea; Puerto Rico; Rwanda; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Seychelles; South Africa; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Syrian Arab Republic; Togo; Trinidad and Tobago; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Zimbabwe
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Population
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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System:
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Terrestrial; Freshwater
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Threats
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Threats:
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Loss of nesting habitat owing to wetland drainage and agricultural intensification is a major threat. Detrimental activities include the conversion of wet meadows to arable land, increased fertilisation and drainage of grassland, artificial flooding of nesting habitats, and earlier cutting2,3. On intensively grazed pastures, trampling is a major cause of nest loss. Habitat fragmentation may cause particular problems for this species, which nests in dispersed colonies and sub-colonies as protection against predators and may be unlikely to breed successfully in small areas of habitat. Hunting is another significant threat. In the European Union (EU), only France continues to legally hunt this species, although a small amount of illegal hunting occurs elsewhere12. Annual bag statistics are not currently recorded for individual species, but it is estimated that c.20-30,000 Black-tailed Godwits are shot each year, down from >100,000 per year in 1980-199012. Outside the EU, for example on the African wintering grounds, hunting is known to occur but its scale and impact is unknown. Water pollution is probably an issue in parts of the species's range4, and drought in the West African wintering quarters may have had negative impacts on the mainland European population2. The Icelandic population is potentially at risk from the policy of the Icelandic government to encourage afforestion of the lowland habitats where they breed12.
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Conservation measures underway:
Listed as Vulnerable (SPEC category 2) in Europe. An EU Action Plan has been drafted. Intensive management of breeding habitat has been carried out in some Western European countries4, and a number of agri-environment schemes focus on this species, although results have been mixed12,13. It occurs in a number of protected areas.
Conservation measures proposed:
Obtain more quantitative data on status, population trends and conservation requirements outside Europe. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of current conservation action. In the EU, use a mixture of agri-environment schemes and large reserves to secure protection and appropriate management of breeding habitat. Establish nature reserves on important breeding sites throughout the species's range. Manage existing reserves appropriately (prescriptions include avoiding drainage of existing wet meadows, raising water tables where necessary, low-level use of organic fertiliser, low intensity grazing, late mowing, and prevention of succession to bushy vegetation; winter flooding is sometimes recommended but may reduce numbers of invertebrate prey14). Ensure that migratory staging posts and winter feeding habitats and roosts are conserved and monitored. Place a temporary ban on hunting throughout the EU until there is clear evidence that the population has returned to a favourable conservation status, and effectively enforce it. Collaborate with farmers and hunters, carrying out environmental education and outreach work where appropriate. Prevent afforestation of lowland breeding habitat in Iceland.
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