Shorebirds

Depending on the season, shorebirds share North American salt and freshwater shorelines with humans from coast to coast.

While taxonomy and species numbers change over time, at any particular point in time, an examination of shorebird numbers helps put the population in context.

According to the American Birding Association (ABA) 2011 year end North American bird check list, Charadriiformes divided into ten families and 172 species.

Taking into consideration the ABA's total species count of 969 North American birds, Charadriiformes constitute 17.75% of the total number of North American birds.

Most casual birders rightly associate two families with shorebirds, the sandpipers (Scolopacidae) and the gulls (Laridae), which constitute roughly two-thirds of all shorebird species.

Shorebird diversity extends to other species with common names such as plovers, stilts, avocets, snipes and oystercatchers.

Finding them can be as easy as spying the small, medium and large birds wading close to shore and poking their bills into the ground in search of food.

Always crowd favorite, the Black Skimmer, top picture, represents the North American skimmer genus (Rynchops) in the larger Laridae family.

It also claims the title as the the only native bird with a lower mandible larger than the upper mandible, designed this way to help it gather fish as it skims the tops of coastal waterways.

Skimmers nest in large colonies and also spend parts of their day resting in large groups along the shoreline. Their above average size, conspicuous bill and bright red legs make them a beach standout.

While they are mostly associated with East Coast and Gulf Coast beaches, small West Coast breeding populations have been established.

The large number of shorebird species also allows for additional 'one of a family' or genera species. In the sandpiper family, for example, Surfbirds (Aphriza virgata), account for the entire North American Aphriza genus.

They inhabit the furthermost rocks and ledges of western shorelines and feed on insects and spiders that hide among rock crevices, as well as consuming small amounts of seeds and marine organisms.

Spotted Sandpipers (Actitis macularius) one of two North American Actitis species, feel equally at home near a back yard pond and a marsh or wilderness wetlands.

The white stomach feathers covered with various shades of spots, and the orange bill, make for easy species identification.

Less social than other sandpiper species, during migration they can be spotted alone or in a very small groups. The video clip shows a spotted sandpiper in action.

Despite the absence of sport hunting, many shorebird populations are declining. A group of governmental and nongovernmental organizations surveyed the native shorebird population and released an action plan to help stabilize their population declines.

A 2004 re-evaluation listed seven species as highly imperiled:

• Piping Plover
• Mountain Plover
• Snowy Plover
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper (North American populations)
• Black-necked Stilt (Hawaiian population)
• Long-billed Curlew
• Red Knot (Canadian Arctic-Atlantic Coast population)

The links listed on the right take you to articles with detailed information, pictures and videos covering North America's shorebird families.

© 2003-2011 Patricia A. Michaels