Charadrius leschenaultii -- Lesson, 1826 ANIMALIA -- CHORDATA -- AVES -- CHARADRIIFORMES -- CHARADRIIDAE Common names: Greater Sandplover; Greater Sand-Plover; Large Sand Dotterel; Pluvier du désert Assessment Information European Red List Status VU -- Vulnerable, (IUCN version 3.1) European Red List Assessment Year published: 2015 Date assessed: 2015-03-31 Assessor(s): BirdLife International Reviewer(s): Symes, A. Compiler(s): Ashpole, J., Burfield, I., Ieronymidou, C., Pople, R., Wheatley, H. & Wright, L. Assessment Rationale European regional assessment: Vulnerable (VU) EU27 regional assessment: Critically Endangered (CR) This species has a small, declining population in easternmost Europe, and it is therefore classified as Vulnerable (C1). It occurs in the EU27 only in winter where the small, increasing population meets the threshold for Critically Endangered (D). Since the population trend of the breeding population in Turkey is decreasing over the long term, there is not considered to be significant potential for rescue from outside the EU27 region and the final category is unchanged. Countries/Territories of Occurrence Native: Armenia; Azerbaijan; Cyprus; Russian Federation; Turkey Vagrant: Austria; Belgium; Bulgaria; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Italy; Malta; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Sweden; Ukraine; United Kingdom Occurrence Population The European population is estimated at 600-1,000 pairs, which equates to 1,200-2,000 mature individuals. The species occurs in the EU27 only in winter and the minimum population is estimated at 25-60 individuals, which equates to 17-40 mature individuals. For details of national estimates, see Supplementary PDF. In Europe the current population size trend is unknown, but the population size is estimated to be decreasing by at least 10% in 17.4 years (three generations). For details of national estimates, see Supplementary PDF. Trend Habitats and Ecology During the breeding season this species is predominantly found in open, dry, treeless, uncultivated areas up to 1,000 m (Hagemeijer and Blair 1997, Wiersma and Bonan 2013), including dried mud, silt and clay flats, hard salt-pans overgrown with halophytic plants (Johnsgard 1981, Snow and Perrins 1998), and rocky plains near mountains in desert or semi-desert (Johnsgard 1981, Flint et al. 1984, Wiersma and Bonan 2013). In Turkey the species frequents heavily grazed saline steppe. The species usually breeds near water (Wiersma and Bonan 2013). During the non-breeding season this species shows a preference for littoral habitats (Urban et al. 1986) with mixed sand and mud substrata (Hockey et al. 2005). It is generally found on sheltered sandy, shelly or muddy beaches, large intertidal mudflats, sandbanks, salt-marshes, estuaries, rocky islands (Wiersma and Bonan 2013), tidal lagoons (Hockey et al. 2005) and dunes near the coast (Urban et al. 1986). Whilst on migration the species will occasionally utilise inland habitats such as salt-lakes and brackish swamps, usually roosting on sandbanks and spits (Hayman et al. 1986, Wiersma and Bonan 2013). In Turkey, egg-laying occurs from late April to late May and in Armenia unfledged chicks have been recorded in late
June. It is a solitary breeder. The nest is a shallow scrape in the ground, variably lined with plant fragments and situated in the open or among low vegetation. Clutch size is usually three eggs (Wiersma and Bonan 2013). This species is carnivorous: during the breeding season its diet consists mainly of terrestrial insects and their larvae (especially beetles, termites, midges and ants), and occasionally lizards. In the non-breeding season its diet contains mainly marine invertebrates such as molluscs (snails), worms and crustaceans (Johnsgard 1981). This species is fully migratory, wintering on the shores of Australasia and the Indian Ocean, but relation between breeding and non-breeding quarters poorly known. It is probable it migrates without stopping on a broad front between breeding and non-breeding areas (Wiersma and Bonan 2013). Habitats & Altitude Habitat (level 1 - level 2) Importance Occurrence Grassland - Temperate suitable breeding Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) suitable breeding Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes suitable passage Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Marshes/Pools suitable passage Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes and Flats suitable breeding Altitude max. 1000 m Occasional altitudinal limits Threats In some parts of its breeding range this species is threatened by the destruction of wetlands and bordering fallow steppe through drainage and water extraction for irrigation (Turkey) (Snow and Perrins 1998, Wiersma and Bonan 2013). Favoured migration staging posts, such as the Çukurova delta in southern Turkey are under increasing pressure from hunting, tourism and industrial activities and are often polluted along the coast with oil (Tucker and Heath 1994). Threats & Impacts Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Agriculture & Annual & perennial aquaculture non-timber crops Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact (scale unknown/ unrecorded) Agriculture & Marine & aquaculture freshwater Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact aquaculture (scale unknown/ unrecorded) Biological resource Hunting & trapping use terrestrial animals Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact (intentional use - species is the target) Species mortality Human intrusions & Recreational disturbance activities Species disturbance Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases Natural system modifications Smooth Cord Grass (Spartina alterniflora) Abstraction of ground water (agricultural use) Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact
Threats & Impacts Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Natural system Other ecosystem modifications modifications Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact Pollution Oil spills Ecosystem degradation; Species mortality Residential & Commercial & commercial industrial areas Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant development Low Impact Residential & Housing & urban commercial areas Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant development Low Impact Transportation & Roads & railroads service corridors Ecosystem degradation Conservation Conservation Actions Underway CMS Appendix II. Bern Convention Appendix II. There are currently no conservation actions known to be in place for this species. Conservation Actions Proposed Preserve large areas of steppe habitat bordering wetlands to maintain breeding populations as well as maintaining low-intensity sheep farming at some sites to preserve the optimum vegetation structure. Prevent the drainage of wetland sites frequented by the species, including IBAs, and give these sites national protection (Tucker and Heath 1994). Bibliography Wiersma, P. and Bonan, A. 2013. Greater Sandplover (Charadrius leschenaultii). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. and de Juana, E. (eds.) 2013. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/53846 on 2 February 2015). Hagemeijer, W.J.M. and Blair, M.J. 1997. The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds: Their Distribution and Abundance. T & A D Poyser, London. Hayman, P., Marchant, J. and Prater, A.J. 1986. Shorebirds. Croom Helm, London. Hockey, P.A.R., Dean, W.R.J. and Ryan, P.G. 2005. Roberts birds of southern Africa. Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. Johnsgard, P.A. 1981. The plovers, sandpipers and snipes of the world. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, U.S.A. and London. Snow, D.W. and Perrins, C.M. 1998. The Birds of the Western Palearctic vol. 1: Non-Passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Tucker, G.M. and Heath, M.F. 1994. Birds in Europe: their conservation status. BirdLife Conservation Series no. 3, BirdLife International, Cambridge. Urban, E.K., Fry, C.H., Keith, S. 1986. The birds of Africa vol. II. Academic Press, London. Wiersma, P. and Bonan, A. 2013. Greater Sandplover (Charadrius leschenaultii). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. and de Juana, E. (eds.) 2013. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/53846 on 21 January 2015).
Map (see overleaf)