Migratory species in Australia

Shorebirds of the Yellow Sea

Importance, threats and conservation status
Mark Barter
Wetlands International, 2002
ISBN 90 5882 009 2

4. Shorebirds occuring in internationally important numbers at Yellow Sea sites (continued)

4.4 Species accounts (continued)

4.4.22 Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea

Subspecies None.

Distribution in the EAAF

Breeding: n. Taimyr to n. Chukotka.

Non-breeding: Mainly coastal. Bangladesh, Myanmar, se. Asia and Australia.

Usage and importance of Yellow Sea

Occurrence: Intertidal flats and adjacent non-tidal wetlands. NM and SM Uncommon, except for n. Bohai Wan during NM. Numbers counted are probably realistic estimates of birds present in surveyed areas.

Movements: NM Appears to migrate through inland China to Mongolia and s. Russia (Melville et al. in prep.; O. Goroshko in litt.); Bo Hai Wan is probably on the eastern extremity of the main migration path. Peak passage occurs in May. SM Uncommon; takes more westerly route than during NM (Minton 1998). Birds from nw., e. and se. Australia occur in Yellow Sea during NM.

Significance of Yellow Sea: Apart from n. Bohai Wan, the Yellow Sea is of minor importance for this species and it probably supports about 10% of the flyway breeding population during NM; very few birds occur during SM.

Key sites: 2 sites of international importance have been identified, both in China during NM (see site location map below). Tianjin Municipality supports >5% of the estimated flyway population during NM.

Status of key sites: Neither site is in a Protected Area.

Major gaps in knowledge: Insufficient geographical and temporal information from China, particularly from Bohai Wan.

EAAF POPULATION ESTIMATE: 180 000
YELLOW SEA
Status: Passage migrant
Estimated minimum numbers:
NM: South Korea: Scarce; China: 18 000.
SM: South Korea: Scarce.
INTERNATIONALLY IMPORTANT SITES (and Protected Area status)
China: 2 (0)

Site count references

  1. Barter et al. 2001
  2. Regulus Tours in litt.
Sites of international importance for Curlew Sandpiper (both used during northward migration)
Sites of international importance for Curlew Sandpiper (both used during northward migration)
   Site Country Count Ref
1 Tianjin Municipality China 12 489 1
2 Shi Jiu Tuo China 2 000 2
         
         
         
         

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