Shorebird Monitoring

Through regular monitoring, we can understand the status of shorebird populations and the condition of the habitats they’re using. Birds are excellent indicators of the health of an ecosystem, and this monitoring data is used to set conservation priorities. Changes in how shorebirds are using a site can indicate that habitat conditions are poor or changing.

Shorebird population estimates and trends also rely on long-term monitoring programs. Conducting regular surveys during the non-breeding season, when shorebirds are mostly concentrated and easier to count, can reveal whether numbers are changing from one year to the next. If these surveys are being carried out at sites throughout a species’ non-breeding distribution, they can be used to estimate that species’ population size. Combining several years of monitoring will provide information on the trend of a population. These trends can then be used to evaluate the status of a species. Based on decades of monitoring data, many species of shorebirds are showing a declining trend.

When a site becomes part of WHSRN, it has been identified as being key for shorebird conservation based on a significant presence of shorebirds. This significance is expressed in numbers, which are either a total count surpassing at least 20,000 individuals per year, or at least 1% of the biogeographic population of a species. These numbers come from monitoring programs, which can be local counts or part of a regional or international monitoring program. Once these numbers are established, it can be determined whether a site is eligible to join the Network.

Click here to download a list of current shorebird population estimates in the Americas and each species’ minimum threshold for qualification as a WHSRN Site.