ZipcodeZoo.com

Tryngites subruficollis

(Buff-Breasted Sandpiper)

Overview:

Near Threatened

Threat status

Conservation Status

[ Back to top ]

Population Analysis

  • For the 56,576 species in the Class Aves (Birds), we average 371.87 observations each in our database; for the Buff-Breasted Sandpiper, we have 937 observations. Compared to other species in this Class, this species is somewhat common.
  • A two-sample t-test can be used to determine whether the trend in observations of the Buff-Breasted Sandpiper is the same as the trend in observations of Aves. Is this species just as common, as a proportion of all observations, as it once was? The answer is no, changes in observation rate of this species significantly differ from changes in observation rate of its Class. (t=2.432, p<0.01)
  • How do observation rates of the Buff-Breasted Sandpiper differ from those of Aves? To answer this, we examined the percentage of observerations for Aves that were observations of the Buff-Breasted Sandpiper each year. We then correlated this percentage with observation year. If observations of the Buff-Breasted Sandpiper are becoming more common relative to other species of Aves, the correlation should be positive, but if it is becoming less common, the correlation should be negative. In fact, the correlation is negative (r=-.5), with a negative slope (m = -.000), suggesting that the Buff-Breasted Sandpiper may be in decline relative to other species of Aves. This correlation is statistically significant. (F = 20.03, p<.05)
  • The scatter chart to the right shows the percentage of all observations for Aves each year that were observations of the Buff-Breasted Sandpiper.

History:

  • 1988-Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004)
  • 1994-Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004)
  • 2000-Lower Risk/near threatened (BirdLife International 2000)
  • 2004-Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2004)

Threats:

  • 1.9 Habitat Loss/Degradation - Unknown causes (ongoing)
  • 3.1.1 Harvesting (hunting/gathering) - Food - Subsistence use/local trade (past)

For info on these threat codes, see here.

Justification

Nearly qualifies as threatened under criteria C2a(i).

Taxonomy

[ Back to top ]
  • Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001

Physical Description

[ Back to top ]

Adult:

Head: buff Crown: streaked and spotted brown Size: small Face: buff Eye Color: dark Eye Ring: light Bill: dark brown Curvature: straight Length: short Lower Mandible: yellow base Neck: buff Hindneck: streaked and spotted brown Length: long Body: Belly: white Breast: buff with streaked and spotted brown sides Mantle: scalloped with blackish and buff Shape: plump Underparts: buff Upperparts: blackish, edged with buff Legs: Foot Color: yellowish orange Leg Color: yellowish orange Wings: Linings: white Tail: brown edged with buff Uppertail Coverts: white.

Immature:

Head: buff Crown: streaked and spotted brown Size: small Face: buff Eye Color: dark Eye Ring: light Bill: dark brown Curvature: straight Length: short Lower Mandible: yellow base Neck: buff Hindneck: streaked and spotted brown Length: long Body: Back: some white-tipped feathers Belly: white Breast: buff with streaked and spotted brown sides Mantle: scalloped with blackish and buff Shape: plump Underparts: buff Upperparts: blackish, edged with buff Legs: Foot Color: yellowish orange Leg Color: yellowish orange Wings: Linings: white Tail: brown edged with buff Uppertail Coverts: white.

Size/Age/Growth:

About 7.5 to 8.25 inches long, with a wingspan of 16 to 17 inches. Adults weigh about 2.5 ounces.

Images:

Distribution

[ Back to top ]

Range and Population

Oceania; North America

Habitat

[ Back to top ]

Vegetation: southern temperate grasslands, arid lowland scrubs, pastures and agricultural lands, freshwater marshes • Minimum Elevation: 0 meters • Maximum Elevation: 0 meters • Sensitivity to Disturbance: Low.

Diet

[ Back to top ]

Almost Exclusively:

Aquatic Invertebrates

Reproduction

[ Back to top ]
  • Clutch Size: 4
  • Number of Broods: 1

Migration

[ Back to top ]

Migratory

Similar Species

[ Back to top ]

Upland Sandpiper, Ruff

Members of the genus Tryngites:

There are approximately 1 species and subspecies in this genus: T. subruficollis (Buff-Breasted Sandpiper)

Bibliography

[ Back to top ]
  • Alsop, Fred J. III. Birds of North America - Eastern Region. First American Edition. Smithsonian Handbooks. DK Publishing, Inc. 2001.
  • Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
  • BirdLife International 2006. Threatened Birds of the World 2006. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 04/05/2006.
  • Ehrlich, P., Dobkin, D., and Wheye, D. (1988). The Birders Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc. (info on clutch size, length of incubation, days to fledge and number of broods.)
  • Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc. (Length and wingspan info.)

More Info

[ Back to top ]

Notes

[ Back to top ]

Contributors:

  • BirdLife International 2006. Tryngites subruficollis. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org . Downloaded on 21 October 2006.
  • Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
  • Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 3, 2006.
  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 11, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 12 providers.
  • Hines, J. E., Gregory Gough, J. R. Sauer, et al. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
  • Parker III, T.A., D.F. Stotz, and J.W. Fitzpatrick, &quot;Ecological and Distributional Databases for Neotropical Birds,&quot; in Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation, by D.F. Stotz, T.A. Parker III, J.W. Fitzpatrick, and D.K. Moskovits (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). ISBN 0-226-64676-9.
  • Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2004. Version 2005.2. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
  • Sauer, J. R., S. Schwartz, and B. Hoover. 1996. The Christmas Bird Count Home Page. Version 95.1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
  • Wilson, Karen L. (from IOPI).

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 11, 2008:

  • Avian Knowledge Network: eBird
  • Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics
  • Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: North West Territories and Nunavut Bird Checklist, Canada
  • Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds (Aves)
  • Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal British Columbia Museum
  • Canadian Museum of Nature: Canadian Museum of Nature Bird Collection
  • Finnish Museum of Natural History: Hatikka Observation Data Gateway
  • GBIF-Sweden: Bird Ringing Centre in Sweden (NRM)
  • GBIF-Sweden: Birds (GBIF-SE:Artdatabanken)
  • Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Bay of Fundy Species List (OBIS Canada)
  • Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Taxonomic Information Sytem for the Belgian coastal area
  • Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
  • New Brunswick Museum: NBM birds
  • Royal Ontario Museum: Bird specimens
  • UCLA-Dickey Bird Collection (UCLA-Dickey): Bird specimens
  • University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ): Bird specimens

Identifiers:

Keep Exploring...

[ Back to top ]
Loading...
Loading...

What is this? Click to find out...

Loading...
Loading...
Last Revised: March 18, 2008