REVEALING UNKNOWN LINKS IN THE LIFE CYCLE

Hudsonian Godwits, Limosa haemastica, have been declining at a rate of 3.42% per year for the last three decades, one of the most rapid and dramatic declines of any Nearctic migratory shorebird species.

Godwits have been identified as a species of conservation concern in multiple countries and flyways, including the USA, Chile, and Argentina.

It is thought that their decline is likely being driven by the effects of climate change on the breeding grounds and habitat loss/degradation during the nonbreeding periods.

The recent discovery of large congregations of godwits during the boreal summer in the grasslands and wetlands of northern Argentina raises the potential that key portions of the godwit life and annual cycle are poorly understood and, thus, that key habitats may be at risk from previously unidentified conservation threats.

This project aims to identify the drivers of over-summering behavior among godwits, as well as the priority habitats and sites used by over-summering godwits in order to initiate targeted conservation actions in the region.

Partners will achieve this by coupling research and monitoring efforts at known godwits breeding and nonbreeding sites with broad-scale surveys of potential over-summering habitats and local stakeholder engagement in northern Argentina.