Status and movements of an expanding population of Bristle-thighed curlew on the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge
A recent influx of bristle-thighed curlews, a shorebird species of conservation concern, into James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii provides an opportunity to investigate the species' flexibility to adapting to new wintering areas as habitats change and to assess habitat needs in general for non-breeding curlews. The focus of the study is to assess the status of the James Campbell population and determine if it represents a growing or displaced winter population of curlews.Abstract
The Bristle-thighed Curlew is a Subarctic-breeding shorebird that nests in two relatively small, disjunct areas in western Alaska and winters exclusively on low-lying atolls and islands in Oceania. It is a Species of Conservation Concern throughout its range but there is no comprehensive strategy in place to manage the species. Concern arises from the unknown status of the population that numbers only 3,200 breeding pairs and direct and indirect threats to curlews on their wintering grounds from human alteration of their habitats and from predation by invasive species of mammals. The risk of predation likely increases when flight feathers are molted in late fall during which many curlews become flightless or flight-compromised for a few weeks. To adapt to threats, birds may disperse to suitable wintering habitat at other locations in the South Pacific. A recent influx of curlews into James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (JCNWR) on O'ahu provides an opportunity to investigate the species' flexibility and to assess general habitat requirements. In the past 10 years, wintering numbers on JCNWR have increased from just a few sightings per year to an estimated 65 winter residents. Interestingly, sightings also have recently increased on other main Hawaiian islands such as Molokai.
Products
| Title | Type |
|---|---|
| Data from Bristle-Thighed Curlews at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, O'ahu, Hawaii, 2012-2014 | Data |
| Shorebird Research at the USGS Alaska Science Center | Project Website |
Contacts
Ruthrauff, Daniel , 907-786-7162Tibbitts, Theresa , 907-786-7038
Status: completed
Start Year: 2012
End Year: 2016