Curlew sandpiper

Last updated

Curlew sandpiper
Calidris ferruginea, winter adult, Pak Thale.jpg
Non-breeding plumage
Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) (44855173205).jpg
Breeding plumage
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
Species:
C. ferruginea
Binomial name
Calidris ferruginea
(Pontoppidan, 1763)
Calidris ferruginea map.svg
Synonyms

Erolia ferruginea Vieillot , 1816

The curlew sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia.

Contents

It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australia and New Zealand. [2] It is a vagrant to North America.

Taxonomy

The curlew sandpiper was formally described in 1763 by the Danish author Erik Pontoppidan under the binomial name Tringa ferrugineus. [3] It is now placed with 23 other sandpipers in the genus Calidris that was introduced in 1804 by the German naturalist Blasius Merrem. [4] [5] The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific ferruginea is from Latin ferrugo, ferruginis, "iron rust" referring to its colour in breeding plumage. [6] The curlew sandpiper is treated as monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [5] Within the genus Calidris the curlew sandpiper is most closely related to the stilt sandpiper (Calidris himantopus). [7]

This species occasionally hybridizes with the sharp-tailed sandpiper and the pectoral sandpiper, producing the presumed "species" called "Cooper's sandpiper" ("Calidris" × cooperi) and "Cox's sandpiper" ("Calidris" × paramelanotos), respectively. [8] [9]

Description

Egg Calidris ferruginea MHNT.jpg
Egg
With red-necked stint, Manly Marina, SE Queensland, Australia

These birds are small waders, similar to dunlins, [10] but differ in having a longer down-curved beak, longer neck and legs and a white rump. They have a length of 18–23 cm (7.1–9.1 in), weight of 44-117 g [11] and wingspan of 38–41 cm (15–16 in). The breeding adult has patterned dark grey upperparts and brick-red underparts. In winter, this bird is pale grey above and white below, and shows an obvious white supercilium. Juveniles have a grey and brown back, a white belly and a peach-coloured breast.

Distribution and habitat

The curlew sandpiper breeds in the Siberian Arctic from the Yamal Peninsula to the Kolyuchin Bay. [12]

Behaviour

This wader is highly gregarious, and will form flocks with other calidrid waders, particularly dunlin. Despite its easterly breeding range, this species is regular on passage in western Europe, presumably because of southwesterly migration route.

Breeding

The breeding grounds are occupied from June till late August. [13] The male curlew sandpiper performs an aerial display during courtship. [14] The nesting site is at the edge of a marsh or pool, or on dry patches of tundra. The average clutch size is 3.8 eggs which are laid at daily intervals. The eggs are incubated by the female and hatch after 19–20 days. The chicks are cared for by the female for 14–16 days. [12]

The reproductive success of this species appears to be dependent on the population of lemmings (West Siberian lemmings (Lemmus sibiricus), East Siberian lemmings (Lemmus paulus) and the Arctic lemming (Dicrostonyx torquatus). In poor lemming years, predatory species such as the Arctic fox (Alopes lagopus) will take Arctic-breeding waders instead. [15] [16]

Food and feeding

It forages in soft mud on marshes and the coast, mainly picking up food by sight. It mostly eats insects and other small invertebrates. [17]

Status

Counts of the curlew sandpiper in South Africa, specifically at Langebaan Lagoon where they are most numerous, indicate a 40% decline in numbers between 1975 and 2009. A similar trend has been noted in Australia and may be linked to effects of global warming at the breeding grounds. [18] It has an extremely large range but although the population is large it is very hard to determine and appears to be decreasing. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has judged the species to be "Near-threatened". [1] The curlew sandpiper is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common redshank</span> Species of bird

The common redshank or simply redshank is a Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanderling</span> Species of bird

The sanderling is a small wading bird. The name derives from Old English sand-yrðling, "sand-ploughman". The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific, alba, is Latin for "white".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunlin</span> Species of bird

The dunlin is a small wader, formerly sometimes separated with the other "stints" in the genus Erolia. The English name is a dialect form of "dunling", first recorded in 1531–1532. It derives from dun, "dull brown", with the suffix -ling, meaning a person or thing with the given quality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green sandpiper</span> Species of bird

The green sandpiper is a small wader (shorebird) of the Old World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted redshank</span> Species of bird

The spotted redshank is a wader (shorebird) in the large bird family Scolopacidae. The genus name Tringa is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific erythropus is from Ancient Greek eruthros, "red", and pous, "foot".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common greenshank</span> Species of bird

The common greenshank is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. The genus name Tringa is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific nebularia is from Latin nebula "mist". Like the Norwegian Skoddefoll, this refers to the greenshank's damp marshy habitat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian curlew</span> Species of bird

The Eurasian curlew or common curlew is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred to just as the "curlew", and in Scotland known as the "whaup" in Scots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian whimbrel</span> Species of bird

The Eurasian or common whimbrel, also known as the white-rumped whimbrel in North America, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic Asia and Europe as far south as Scotland. This species and the Hudsonian whimbrel have recently been split, although some taxonomic authorities still consider them to be conspecific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little stint</span> Species of bird

The little stint is a very small wader. It breeds in arctic Europe and Asia, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to Africa and south Asia. It occasionally is a vagrant to North America and to Australia. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific minuta is Latin for "small.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple sandpiper</span> Species of bird

The purple sandpiper is a small shorebird in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae. This is a hardy sandpiper that breeds in the arctic and subarctic regions of Eurasia and North America and winters further south on the Atlantic coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red knot</span> Species of bird

The red knot or just knot is a medium-sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is a large member of the Calidris sandpipers, second only to the great knot. Six subspecies are recognised.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruff (bird)</span> Species of bird

The ruff is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-necked stint</span> Species of bird

The red-necked stint is a small migratory wader. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific ruficollis is from Latin rufus, "red" and collum, "neck".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temminck's stint</span> Species of bird

Temminck's stint is a small wader. This bird's common name and Latin binomial commemorate the Dutch naturalist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broad-billed sandpiper</span> Species of bird

The broad-billed sandpiper is a small wading bird. The scientific name is from Latin. The specific name falcinella is from falx, falcis, "a sickle. Some research suggests that it should rather go into the genus Philomachus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great knot</span> Species of bird

The great knot is a small wader. It is the largest species of the genus Calidris. They are a migratory bird which breeds in Siberia, Russia, and flies to southern Asia and Australia in the northern winter.

<i>Calidris</i> Genus of birds

Calidris is a genus of Arctic-breeding, strongly migratory wading birds in the family Scolopacidae. These birds form huge mixed flocks on coasts and estuaries in winter. Migratory shorebirds are shown to have decline in reproductive traits because of temporal changes of their breeding seasons(Weiser et al., 2018). They are the typical "sandpipers", small to medium-sized, long-winged and relatively short-billed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pectoral sandpiper</span> Species of bird

The pectoral sandpiper is a small, migratory wader that breeds in North America and Asia, wintering in South America and Oceania. It eats small invertebrates. Its nest, a hole scraped in the ground and with a thick lining, is deep enough to protect its four eggs from the cool breezes of its breeding grounds. The pectoral sandpiper is 21 cm (8.3 in) long, with a wingspan of 46 cm (18 in).

Cox's sandpiper is a hybrid between a male pectoral sandpiper and a female curlew sandpiper. First discovered in Australia in the 1950s, it was originally described as a species new to science and named after Australian ornithologist John B. Cox. However, it was later found to be a hybrid. Most if not all birds found to date are males, in accord with Haldane's rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock sandpiper</span> Species of bird

The rock sandpiper is a small shorebird in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae. This is a hardy sandpiper that breeds in the arctic and subarctic regions of Alaska and the Chukotka and Kamchatka Peninsulas. It is closely related to the purple sandpiper that breeds in arctic regions of northeast Canada and the northwest Palearctic.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2017). "Calidris ferruginea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22693431A110631069. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22693431A110631069.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Thomas Alerstam (1993). Bird Migration. Cambridge University Press. p. 61. ISBN   9780521448222.
  3. Pontoppidan, Erik (1763). Den Danske Atlas eller Konge-Riget Dannemark (in Danish). Vol. 1. Kiøbenhavn: Godiche. p. 624.
  4. Merrem, Blasius (8 June 1804). "Naturgeschichte". Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung (in German). 168. Col. 542. Published anonymously.
  5. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Sandpipers, snipes, coursers". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  6. Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  84, 159. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  7. Gibson, Rosemary; Baker, Allan (2012). "Multiple gene sequences resolve phylogenetic relationships in the shorebird suborder Scolopaci (Aves: Charadriiformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 64 (1): 66–72. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.03.008. PMID   22491071.
  8. Cox, John B. (1989). "Notes on the affinities of Cooper's and Cox's sandpipers" (PDF). South Australian Ornithologist. 30: 169–181.
  9. Cox, John B. (1990). "The measurements of Cooper's Sandpiper and the occurrence of a similar bird in Australia" (PDF). South Australian Ornithologist. 31: 38–43.
  10. "Curlew sandpiper". RSPB.
  11. Oiseaux.net. "Bécasseau cocorli - Calidris ferruginea - Curlew Sandpiper". www.oiseaux.net. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  12. 1 2 Piersma, T.; van Gils, J.; Wiersma, P. (1996). "Curlew sandpiper" . In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 524–525. ISBN   978-84-87334-20-7.
  13. Cramp 1983, p. 341.
  14. Holmes, Richard T.; Pitelka, Frank A. (1964). "Breeding behavior and taxonomic relationships of the Curlew Sandpiper". The Auk. 81 (3): 362–379. doi: 10.2307/4082691 . JSTOR   4082691.
  15. Roselaar, C.S. (1979). "Fluctuaties in aantallen krombekstrandlopers Calidris ferruginea" [Variation in the numbers of curlew sandpipers (Calidris ferruginea)](PDF). Watervogels (in Dutch). 4: 202–210. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  16. Blomqvist, S.; Holmgren, N.; Åkesson, S.; Hedenström, A.; Pettersson, J. (2002). "Indirect effects of lemming cycles on Sandpiper dynamics: 50 Years of counts from Southern Sweden". Oecologia. 133 (2): 146–158. Bibcode:2002Oecol.133..146B. doi:10.1007/s00442-002-1017-2. JSTOR   4223402. PMID   28547301. S2CID   299919.
  17. Cramp 1983, pp. 341–342.
  18. de Villiers, M.S., ed. (2009). Birds and Environmental Change: building an early warning system in South Africa. Pretoria: SANBI. p. 12. ISBN   978-0-620-45305-9.
  19. "Species". Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). Retrieved 27 November 2021.

Sources