Stilt Sandpiper
NDGF
L 8.5”, WS 18”, 2 oz. Breeding/spring plumage: heavily barred chest and belly, long yellowish-green legs, heavy and slightly downcurved bill. Fall/nonbreeding plumage: pale gray, barring absent.
Status in North Dakota
Migrates through North Dakota in late April through early June, and early July through late October.
Range Map
Stilt Sandpiper primary (dark gray/hatch) and secondary (medium gray/hatch) migration range.
Reason for SWAP Designation
At-risk based on expert review (SGCN c.).
ND hosts >5% (20.75) of the global population in the post-breeding migration season and >5% (6.05) in the pre-breeding migration season.
The peak week for Stilt Sandpiper migration in ND (~26-July) hosts >40% (40.09) of the global population.
The Stilt Sandpiper is declining precipitously.
Threats
Loss and degradation of wetlands, drainage and wetland consolidation.
Loss of habitat on the breeding and wintering grounds and amplified effects of climate change in arctic and coastal habitats.
Classified as climate-threatened, Stilt Sandpiper is projected to lose more than half of its current distribution by 2080, with potential net gains of new areas (Audubon).
Hyperabundant geese populations alter tundra habitat and may limit the availability of nesting habitat for articbreeding shorebirds.
Loss and degradation of migratory stopover habitat and impacts of human activity at important stopover areas such as the Texas Gulf Coast.
Increasing applications of agrochemicals and adverse impacts to water quality, the wetland vegetative community, and the aquatic invertebrate community.
Stilt Sandpiper may be exposed to high concentrations of synthetic insecticides in non-buffered cropland ponds during the spring migration.
More frequent or intense harmful algal blooms.
Aquatic nuisance species spreading and damaging wetland ecosystems.
Collisions with overhead lines and wind turbines.
Research and Monitoring
Demographic studies are limited.
Information lacking on migration strategies, stopover sites, and wintering behaviors.
Multiple large-scale shorebird monitoring programs are key sources of information on distribution and population trends.
However, minimal focus has been directed at research or monitoring migrant shorebirds in ND.
Management Recommendations
- Maintain wetland complexes.
- Conserve shallow, working wetlands in cropland.
- Plant vegetative buffer strips around wetlands in cropland.
- Identify and target high priority landscapes, habitats, and stopover sites for protection.
- Conscientious and appropriate application of agrochemicals.
Primary Geological Regions
Habitat Associations
Habitat Use
Stilt Sandpipers breed in the low-arctic and subarctic areas of Alaska, northern Canada, and Hudson Bay, and winters in freshwater wetlands, flooded fields and coastal areas of the southern U.S., Mexico and South America.
During migration, they primarily migrate through the Central Flyway and use the Prairie Pothole Region extensively.
Uses a variety of wetlands, lakes, and cropland ponds during migration.
Feed on a variety of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates such as midges, beetles, but also seeds.