Laguna Mar Chiquita, a WHSRN Site of Hemispheric Importance, recently witnessed a groundbreaking achievement in shorebird conservation. An international team of researchers successfully deployed radio-transmitters on eight individuals of Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) in their non-breeding grounds—a significant first in South America. This milestone is part of a larger collaborative effort to study and protect this species, whose populations face growing challenges due to habitat degradation.
Research efforts of Wilson’s Phalarope in Mar Chiquita were initiated by Marcela Castellino, Saline Lakes and Conservation Specialist of the WHSRN Executive Office in 2013 with ground-based surveys and habitat studies. Between 2016 and 2019, research on the foraging ecology of the species was conducted as well as failed attempts to capture some individuals. In 2019, collaborations with Aves Argentinas and Natura Argentina were established to conduct aerial surveys on the site. Given that phalaropes are long-distance migratory birds, efforts also focused on developing and strengthening international connections with key sites for the species, primarily in the United States and Canada. As a result of these collaborations, since 2023, Manomet, together with Oikonos and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), have been coordinating efforts to study Wilson’s Phalarope movements. In 2024, a Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grant was secured to survey and monitor Wilson’s Phalarope movement within and among sites and install MOTUS receiver stations. The project is conducted in partnership with Fundación Líderes de Ansenuza (FLA), University of Connecticut (UConn), Oikonos Ecosystem of Knowledge, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), University of Saskatchewan (USak), and Thomson Rivers University.
From left to right: The first Phalarope ever tagged in South America’s history, released on the shores of Laguna Mar Chiquita. The NanoTags enable researchers to study migration and stopover ecology using the Motus Wildlife Tracking System.
The team has been working on fitting individuals of Wilson´s Phalarope with radio transmitters to track their migratory movements and installing MOTUS tracking towers around Laguna Mar Chiquita, which will contribute to shedding light on critical stopover sites across the Western Hemisphere. The MOTUS system, a collaborative international network of automated telemetry stations, detects radio signals from tagged wildlife, including birds, bats, and insects within an 11-mile radius. This innovative technology allows researchers to monitor animal movements across vast landscapes and is a powerful tool for advancing conservation science. These efforts are being led by Pablo Gigy Gregoret, Saline Lakes Conservation Specialist of the WHSRN Executive Office, who is following in the footsteps of Marcela and working in close collaboration with her. This achievement marks a continuation of the legacy of dedication to shorebird conservation at Mar Chiquita.
“This historic step in the study of Wilson’s Phalarope signifies the genuine connections between work groups from different regions and cultures with shared goals. Working on species conservation in this context is truly inspiring and is reflected in every flock that flies over our saline lakes“. – Pablo Gigy Gregoret.
The research team is setting up the mist nets, one of the techniques used to capture Phalaropes. Photo: Pablo Gigy Gregoret
The campaign consists of extended periods in the field with a technical-scientific camp set up, where specialists work. Photos: Left – Ezequiel Vivas, Right – Pablo Gigy Gregoret.
Activities at Mar Chiquita are part of a broader project to address pressing conservation challenges for the Wilson’s Phalarope and saline lakes throughout the Americas. These lakes form a network of irreplaceable habitats critical to hundreds of thousands of individuals of Wilson’s Phalarope during their annual cycles. However, the species faces declining population trends at both local and hemispheric scales, underscoring the urgent need for data-driven conservation actions.
The work at Laguna Mar Chiquita highlights the power of collaboration and innovation in tackling the complex challenges of ensuring the conservation of this long-distance migrant. By combining cutting-edge technology with international partnerships, this project is paving the way for a brighter future for Wilson’s Phalarope and the vital ecosystems they depend on.
More efforts to tag individuals of Wilson’s phalarope will be made during 2025, both in Chaplin Lake (Canada) and Mono Lake (USA), where researchers aim to deploy 15 new tags at each site. Increasing the number of tags deployed is crucial to gather new information about the species’ movements at the site, regional, and hemispheric scales. By increasing knowledge about habitat use, migratory connectivity, and migratory ecology of the species, we can identify priority sites and actions to design and implement conservation strategies for the species. Further research will also help to inform conservation actions at different geographic scales, including understanding of the breeding and staging ecology, “wintering” (“stationary” non-breeding season) ecology, migration routes, and migratory connectivity of the species.
The implementation of activities at Mar Chiquita was possible through funding from the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) and the U.S. Forest Service, in collaboration with Environment and Climate Change Canada and Tracy Aviary’s Conservation Fund. The fieldwork was carried out by a diverse team comprising staff from the WHSRN Executive Office, researchers from CONICET’s Institute for Marine and Coastal Research, a researcher from Thompson Rivers University, students from Weber State University, and outstanding participants from Fundación Líderes de Ansenuza’s Conservation Academy.
Together with local partners, Manomet’s Flyways team and WHSRN’s Executive Office will continue to work to fill critical information gaps regarding the migration ecology, stopover ecology and site-based ecology (breeding and non-breeding) of Wilson’s Phalarope throughout its distribution, identifying key sites for the species and generating information that can help inform management decisions for the conservation of this species.
Cover Photo: A group of Wilson’s Phalarope in non-breeding plumage. Photo: Tetsu Esposito.
