Flyways—Sky Paths The migratory routes of birds, referred to as flyways, are not specific, narrow “highways.” Instead, they are general routes that most migrants tend to follow. Scientists have proposed that birds use the stars, the sun, and even the Earth’s magnetic field for guidance.

Many shorebirds follow coastlines. Two flyways, the American Pacific and the American Atlantic, follow the coasts of the North American continent. They extend from the Alaskan and Canadian Arctic, along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts to the southern tip of South America. In North America, shorebirds also migrate inland along the American Central Flyway.

Other shorebird migration routes that use the North American Arctic include the Central Pacific and the East Asian-Australasian Flyways. The Central Pacific Flyway extends across the ocean from New Zealand to Pacific islands like Hawaii and up through the Alaskan Arctic. The East migrating shorebirds will return few stopover sites, a bottleneck Asian-Australasian Flyway runs to the same stopover site year results at these few vital wetlands. from Australia, along the east after year. Termed staging, these These critically important staging of the Asian continent, through large flocks of shorebirds will feed areas can host tens of thousands, countries such as Japan, China, and for several days or weeks in order even hundreds of thousands, of Korea, to the Russian and Alaskan to build up their energy reserves shorebirds at one time. In fact, five Arctic. to continue their flight. Wetland sites in North America support estuaries, rich habitats where a more than a million shorebirds each Migrating Shorebirds source of freshwater meets the spring. Stop to Rest and Feed ocean, provide some of the most Most migrating birds require important shorebird staging areas the presence of wetlands in their in the world. breeding habitat and on their wintering grounds. These two Arctic-nesting shorebirds are also regions are often thousands of famous for the huge numbers of miles apart. Shorebirds depend birds that concentrate at stopover on wetlands in between for food sites along the flyway. Since most and rest to reach their final Arctic-nesting shorebirds tend to

destinations. Large numbers of use the same relatively

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S M 70 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P Shorebirds Congregate at Migrating Shorebirds Important Staging Areas! Critical Staging Areas of North Are Extremely Vulnerable! America If a traditional stopover is lost ■ The Copper River Delta is to development or contaminated thought to be the most heavily Pacific Flyway with pollution, the birds do not used stopover site for all Copper River Delta, Alaska have the energy or the time to look Western Sandpipers along the Kachemak Bay, Alaska for another suitable place to stop. Pacific Flyway. Shorebirds Mono Lake, California Sometimes an entire population stop at this site because of the Salton Sea, California will move through a stopover site superabundance of crustaceans, San Franciso Bay, California within a week or two. This makes mollusks, worms, and other Gray’s Harbor, Washington shorebirds extremely vulnerable energy-rich foods. Great Salt Lake, Utah to habitat changes or loss. One Lahontan Valley, Nevada environmental disaster at a ■ Shepody Bay, in the Bay of Fundy, critical staging site could impact is another important shorebird Central Flyway the survival of an entire species of site for at least 34 species of Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas shorebird! shorebirds that use the marshes Sand Lake, South Dakota and mudflats. About one million Quill Lake, Saskatchewan Explore the World with Shorebirds! Semipalmated Sandpipers visit Bolivar Flats, Texas Discover the mysteries and this stopover site along the Quivira NWR, Kansas challenges of migration through Atlantic Flyway from mid-July Rainwater Basin, Nebraska math, simulation games, and to early September. Horicon Marsh, Wisconsin creative writing using these activities: ■ Cheyenne Bottoms, considered Atlantic Flyway ■ Migration Headache the largest interior marsh in Delaware Bay, New Jersey, ■ Migration Math Madness the United States, hosts as Delaware, Maryland ■ The Incredible Journey many as 45 to 90 percent of all Bay of Fundy, Canada ■ Precarious Paths our shorebird, duck, and geese Maryland/Virginia Barrier ■ Bird’s-Eye View species that stop to rest and feed Islands during their migration along the Cape Romain NWR, South Central Flyway. Carolina

Monomoy Island, Massachusetts

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S M 71 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P The Shorebird Flyways in Your Backyard

What is a Migration Flyway? A migration flyway is an invisible “highway in the sky,” a general route birds follow as they fly from their breeding grounds in the north to more southern areas where they spend their winters.

How Did Scientists Determine Where the Flyways Are? Biologists have determined migration routes through the use of radio telemetry and observation of banded and flagged birds. For some species, they can even tell where birds are from by bill length and coloration. Many shorebirds that have been banded have also been flagged. This is a band that sticks out from the side of the bird’s leg. Each country has an assigned color so biologists can determine where the birds have come from. For more information on the flagging program go to http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/ nature/migratorybirds/pasp/ dc29s01.en.html.

Where Are These Flyways Located? Scientists have grouped these flight paths into generalized flyways. Asian-Australasian Flyways. The American Atlantic Flyway is really When talking about migration Central Pacific Flyway extends on the western side of the Atlantic flyways, biologists have most often across the ocean from New Zealand Ocean and should be called the referred to the routes of waterfowl to Pacific islands like Hawaii, and Western Atlantic Flyway. However, that follow four fairly narrow up through the Alaskan Arctic. The we felt that would confuse our migration paths through North East Asian-Australasian Flyway primary audience which is in America: the Pacific Flyway, the runs from Australia, along the east the United States. By adding Central Flyway, the Mississippi of the Asian continent through “American” to Atlantic Flyway, Flyway, and the Atlantic Flyway. countries such as Japan, China, and people will understand that we are Korea, to the Russian and Alaskan speaking of the Atlantic flyway in Shorebird flyways are more Arctic. the Americas. general and tend to overlap. For this reason, shorebird biologists Flyway Names Interested in more information have identified three broader You will notice that the flyways about the flyway in your backyard? shorebird flyways within North are named with “American” at the The following pages describe the America: the American Pacific beginning. This is to clarify that geographic zones and highlight Flyway, the American Central these flyways are located in the exciting shorebird facts about the Flyway (which combines the Western Hemisphere. Without area where you live. Central and Mississippi flyways of that clarification, people from songbirds and waterfowl), and the other countries may look at this How Do Birds Find Their Way? American Atlantic Flyway. Other information and confuse these Birds probably use a variety of shorebird migration routes that use flyways with other regions of the methods to navigate. Though the North American Arctic include globe. For example, if you take scientists are not exactly sure how

the Central Pacific and the East into account the entire globe, the birds navigate along these routes,

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S M 72 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P there are several theories. Some Where Are Important Shorebird For answers to more questions think birds find their way using the Stopover Sites Located? commonly asked about shorebird stars as a guide. There is evidence Important stopover areas are migration and adaptations, that some large flocks of migrating located along each flyway. Some please refer to the sections The birds have seemed to “lose their are famous, like the Copper Magnificent Shorebird Migration way” over large metropolitan areas River Delta in Alaska, for the and Shorebirds Have Special where city lights brighten the sky hundreds of thousands of birds Adaptations in the Shorebird and make the stars harder to see. that stop each year; other sites Primer. Other scientists believe that birds are smaller but just as important. migrate using an internal magnetic Today pollution, development, and Explore the World with Shorebirds! compass. This system guides the agriculture expansion threaten Have students identify the birds along the earth’s magnetic to wipe out many shorebird shorebird flyway(s) they live in. routes. stopover sites. The Western Use the WHSRN site listings Reserve Network (WHSRN) is a found later in this section or How Are Shorebirds Able to Migrate multinational coalition of scientists log on to the WHRSN Web site Such Long Distances? and conservationists working (www.manomet.org/WHSRN/) Shorebirds have specific physical together to identify important sites to identify important shorebird adaptations for long distance flight, for protection. Sites nominated stopover sites in their flyway. including long, pointed wings into the WHSRN network fall Then have your students mark and the ability to gain and store into one of three categories: them on a wall map of North highly concentrated fat to fuel their Hemispheric Sites that host a America. Students can learn journey. Some shorebirds can fly minimum of 500,000 shorebirds specific information about the site’s nonstop for thousands of miles to annually, International Sites with resources from the WHSRN Web reach their migratory destinations. a minimum of 100,000 shorebirds site. Interested in knowing which However, most shorebird species each year, and Regional Sites shorebirds are found in your area? stop along the way to rest and feed. where at least 20,000 shorebirds Refer to any of the field guides Stopover sites with abundant food migrate through annually. The listed in the Appedix, or check out sources have become traditional network provides recognition and the Shorebird Profiles to learn areas where hundreds of thousands information for managing these more about birds specific to your of birds congregate during the sites. New sites are nominated each flyway. migration season. Here they year. Of course there are many gorge themselves on nutrient-rich sites that have fewer than 20,000 invertebrates to replenish the birds. These sites are also very body fat that fuels the rest of their important for shorebirds and can journey. These sites are vitally be recognized through the National important to shorebird survival Audubon Society’s Important and breeding success. Bird Area (IBA) network (http: //www.audubon.org/bird/iba/). Schools and communities can also nominate their towns as Shorebird Sister Cities through the Shorebird Sister Schools Program (http:

//sssp.fws.gov).

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S M 73 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P American Pacific Flyway

Route Description Northern Pacific Region Shorebirds Most Characteristic of The American Pacific Flyway ■ Estuaries like Gray’s Harbor, the American Pacific Flyway generally follows the eastern Willapa Bay, and Bandon Marsh With the exception of the Snowy Pacific coastline from the western support over 100,000 shorebirds Plover, the shorebirds on this list Arctic, including Alaska and the during peak migration. are common and can be observed Aleutian Islands, down the Rocky ■ Other important shorebird by students. The list is also a Mountain and Pacific coastal habitats, such as the Willamette “snapshot” of species diversity in regions of Canada, the United Valley are a mix of wetlands the flyway, providing a variety of States, and Mexico, to where and agriculture and are used natural history stories to learn it blends with other flyways extensively in winter by Dunlin about. Shorebirds that are rare in Central and South America. and Wilson’s Snipe. on this flyway are noted with an The extensive American Pacific ■ Of the 50 shorebird species that asterisk. Consider hsxaving your flyway system is separated breed in the United States, 40 students research these shorebirds into four geographic regions: are found regularly in this using this guide, the library, and Alaska, the Northern Pacific, the region. the World Wide Web. Intermountain West, and the ■ Important habitats include Southern Pacific Region. coastal estuaries, sandy beaches, Western Sandpiper rocky shorelines, freshwater Black-bellied Plover A map of the geographic regions marshes, pastures, and Short-billed Dowitcher is in the U.S. Shorebird agricultural lands. Dunlin Conservation Plan located at Marbled Godwit http://shorebirdplan.fws.gov. Intermountain West Region (IMW) Black Oystercatcher ■ Eleven species of shorebirds Black Turnstone breed and another 23 migrate Long-billed Curlew Facts About regularly through this huge Snowy Plover* the Flyway region that includes a variety of Black-necked Stilt wetlands, from saline sinks to Alaskan Region alpine streams. ■ Alaska’s size and northerly ■ Up to 90 percent of the world’s position provide breeding habitat adult Wilson’s Phalaropes for more types of shorebirds molt and stage in the IMW than anywhere else in the United hypersaline lakes prior to their States. trip to South America. ■ Of the 71 species which have ■ Important habitats include occurred in this region, 37 breed large saline lakes, marshes, here. upland, agricultural fields, ■ Most Alaskan shorebirds migrate ephemeral wetlands, man-made to southern areas of the United impoundments, and riparian States and Mexico. About one areas. third head to South America or Oceania (Australia and New Southern Pacific Region Zealand). ■ Internationally and nationally ■ More than one million birds significant numbers of Western congregate at Alaskan staging Sandpipers, Snowy Plovers and sites. In the spring, as many as Mountain Plovers are found here. five to eight million shorebirds ■ Important habitats include tidal use the food resources of the wetlands and marshes, salt famous Copper River Delta. ponds, seasonal wetlands, flooded agricultural lands, managed wetlands, and range and agricultural land. ■ Twenty eight species of shorebirds spend the

nonbreeding season here.

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S M 74 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Sites on the American Pacific Flyway*

Refer to the Shorebirds Across the Americas poster included in your educator’s binder or request a copy by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Hemispheric Sites A minimum of 500,000 shorebirds use these sites each year.

United States Argentina Copper River Delta, Alaska Tierra del Fuego Grays Harbor, Washington Great Salt Lake, Utah Lahantan Valley, Nevada San Francisco Bay, California Yukon Delta, Alaska

International Sites A minimum of 100,000 shorebirds use these sites each year.

United States Mexico Kachemak Bay, Alaska Estero Rio Colorado Grasslands, California Guerrero Negro Humboldt Bay, California Marismas Nacionales Mono Lake, California

Brazil Argentina

Regional Sites A minimum of 20,000 shorebirds use these sites each year.

United States Elkhorn Slough, California Kvichak Bay, Alaska Nushagak Bay, Alaska Sacramento Valley, California San Diego Bay, California South Salton Sea, California Springfield Bottoms, Idaho Yukon Delta, Alaska

* For a detailed description of these sites, please go to the WHSRN Web site at http://www.manomet.org/ WHSRN/ and click on the Shorebird Reserve Network

button.

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S M 75 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P American Atlantic Flyway

Route Description ■ There is good access to shorebird The American Atlantic Flyway viewing opportunities. Large extends from the offshore waters portions of publicly owned of the Atlantic Coast west to the coastal habitat and strong Appalachian Mountains. Many state land use regulations have birds using the American Atlantic strengthened local support for Flyway start at the southern tip shorebird conservation. of South America or the coast of Chile and then move through South East Coastal the interior of South America Plain/Caribbean Region (Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, ■ This is an important area Brazil, and Suriname) and across for breeding American the Caribbean. They reach the Oystercatchers, Snowy Plovers, United States touching Maryland, Wilson’s Plovers, and Piping Virginia, and Delaware. From Plovers. there they head to James Bay and ■ Over five million shorebirds Hudson Bay in Canada. use the 50,000 acres of publicly managed wetlands in this region. The Atlantic Flyway is divided into two geographic areas: the Northern Atlantic and the South East Coastal Shorebirds Most Characteristic of Plain/Caribbean. the American Atlantic Flyway With the exception of the Piping A map of the geographic areas Plover, shorebirds on this list is in the U.S. Shorebird are common and can be observed Conservation Plan located at by students. The list is also a http://shorebirdplan.fws.gov. “snapshot” of species diversity in the flyway, providing a variety of natural history stories to learn Facts About about. Shorebirds that are rare the Flyway on this flyway are noted with an asterisk. Consider having your Northern Atlantic Region students research these shorebirds ■ This is the most heavily using this guide, the library, and populated area in the United the World Wide Web. States. ■ Wetlands are affected by Semipalmated Sandpiper development. Still, beaches in Purple Sandpiper this region are essential, high- Red Knot quality habitat for shorebirds. Willet ■ This region is considered critical Ruddy Turnstone to the survival of Red Knots, Sanderling Piping Plovers, and Whimbrels. Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs ■ The Delaware Bay was the first American Oystercatcher WHSRN site. It supports huge Piping Plover* concentrations of spring migrants Least Sandpiper that feast on horseshoe crab

eggs.

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S M 76 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Sites on the American Atlantic Flyway*

Refer to the Shorebirds Across the Americas poster included in your educator’s binder or request a copy by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Hemispheric Sites A minimum of 500,000 shorebirds use these sites each year.

United States Suriname Delaware Bay, Delaware, New Jersey, Bigi Pan Maryland Coppename Wia Wia Canada Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia Brazil Reentrancias/Maranhenses/ Maranhao

Argentina Laguna Mar Chiquita Tierra del Fuego

International Sites A minimum of 100,000 shorebirds use these sites each year.

United States Brazil Barrier Islands, Maryland and Virginia Logoa de Peixe, Brazil Cape Romain, South Carolina Argentina Bahía de San Antonia Oeste

Regional Sites A minimum of 20,000 shorebirds use these sites each year.

United States Peru Altamaha River Delta, Georgia Paracas Edwin B. Forsythe, New Jersey Monomoy Islands, Massachusetts

* For a detailed description of these sites, please go to the WHSRN Web site at http://www.manomet.org/ WHSRN/ and click on the Shorebird Reserve Network

button.

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S M 77 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P American Central Flyway

Route Description ■ Mosaics of temporary wetlands, Shorebirds Most Characteristic The American Central Flyway like playa lakes, are extremely of the American Central Flyway covers a wide band of land that important to shorebirds but are With the exception of the Buff- extends from the eastern edge of unpredictable in their locations breasted Sandpiper, shorebirds the Rocky Mountains, including the due to weather conditions and on this list are common and are Midwest, the Mississippi River, and hydrological changes from readily observed by students. The the Gulf of Mexico, to the western human activities. list is also a “snapshot” of species edge of the Appalachian Mountains. ■ Important habitats in this region diversity in the flyway, providing include temporary wetlands, a variety of natural history stories There are four geographic regions agricultural fields, short-grass to learn about. Shorebirds that are within the Central Flyway: the prairies, freshwater marshes, rare on this flyway are noted with Northern Plains and Prairie and rivers. an asterisk. Consider having your Potholes, the Central Plains and students research these shorebirds Playa Lakes, the Upper Mississippi Upper Mississippi Valley using this guide, the library, and Valley and Great Lakes, and the and the Great Lakes the World Wide Web. Lower Mississippi and Western ■ The region experiences Gulf Coast. dynamic climate changes and White-rumped Sandpiper unpredictable habitat conditions. American Golden-Plover A map of the geographic areas ■ Thirty-two species of shorebirds Long-billed Dowitcher is in the U.S. Shorebird occur in this region. American Avocet Conservation Plan located at ■ Habitats in this region include Upland Sandpiper http://shorebirdplan.fws.gov. managed and natural wetlands, Hudsonian Godwit river floodplains, lake shoreline, Lesser Yellowlegs sand and gravel bars, reservoirs, Buff-breasted Sandpiper* Facts About and flooded agricultural fields. Pectoral Sandpiper the Flyway Spotted Sandpiper Lower Mississippi and Northern Plains/ Western Gulf Coast Prairie Pothole Region ■ A rich variety of shorebird ■ This is one of the major migration habitats provides important routes of Western Hemisphere areas for shorebirds in the shorebirds. Thirteen species also United States. breed here. ■ Five highly imperiled ■ It encompasses prairies, potholes, shorebirds—the Snowy Plover, and badlands in all or part of Piping Plover, Mountain Plover, seven states. Eskimo Curlew, and Long-billed ■ There are constantly changing Curlew, have historically been habitat conditions. Shorebirds or are presently found along the here are opportunistic. Gulf Coast. ■ Habitat in this area includes rolling hills of prairie grasses, temporary and semi-permanent wetlands, and agricultural fields.

Central Plains and Playa Lakes ■ Three stopover sites in this region are part of WHRSN. ■ This region supports a large percentage of the hemisphere’s long-distance migrants, including the Stilt and White-rumped

Sandpipers.

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S M 78 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Sites on the American Central Flyway*

Refer to the Shorebirds Across the Americas poster included in your educator’s binder or request a copy by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Hemispheric Sites A minimum of 500,000 shorebirds use these sites each year.

United States Great Salt Lake, Utah Brazil Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas Reentrancias/ Maranhenses/Maranhao Canada Chaplin/Old Wives/Reed Lakes, Argentina Saskatchewan Laguna Mar Chiquita Tierra del Fuego

International Sites A minimum of 100,000 shorebirds use these sites each year.

United States Bolivar Flats, Texas Mexico Brazoria NWR, Texas Laguna Madre (bi-national), Laguna Madre (bi-national), Texas and Texas and Mexico Mexico

Canada Quill Lakes, Saskatchewan

Regional Sites A minimum of 20,000 shorebirds use these sites each year.

United States Canada Benton Lake NWR, Montana Beaverhill Lake, Chautauqua NWR, Illinois Saskatchewan J. Clark Slayer NWR, North Dakota Last Mountain Lake, Long Lake NWR, North Dakota Saskatchewan Quivira NWR, Kansas Salt Plains NWR, Oklahoma Mexico Swan Lake NWR, Illinois Playa Ceuta

Peru Paracas

*For a detailed description of these sites, please go to the WHSRN Web site at http://www.manomet.org/WHSRN/ and click on the Shorebird Reserve

Network button.

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S M 79 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P East Asian- Australasian Flyway

Route Description ■ Dunlins, Great Knots, and Bar- Shorebirds Most Characteristic of The East Asian-Australasian tailed Godwits are the most the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Flyway (EAA) stretches nearly common birds in the flyway. The Most of the shorebirds on this list pole to pole. Birds breed on the least common species are the are common and can be observed tundra inside the Arctic Circle in Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Asian- by students. The list is also a Alaska and Russia. Countries with painted Snipe, and Spotted “snapshot” of species diversity in important wintering and stopover Greenshank. Other shorebirds the flyway, providing a variety of sites include: Australia, New which occur in this flyway include natural history stories to learn Zealand, Japan, China, Taiwan, the Red-necked Stint, Little about. Shorebirds that are rare the Koreas, Singapore, Malaysia, and Long-toed Stints; Curlew, on this flyway are noted with an Indonesia, Philippines, Mongolia, Marsh, Terek, and Broad-billed asterisk. Consider having your Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Sandpipers; Black-bellied, students research these shorebirds Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, and Kentish (snowy), Little-ringed using this guide, the library, and Thailand. and Mongolian Plovers; Eurasian the World Wide Web. and Far Eastern Curlews; Asian Dowitchers; Red Knots; Pied Little Curlew Facts About Avocets; Spotted Redshanks; Bar-tailed Godwit the Flyway Black-winged and Banded Stilts; Great Knot Whimbrels; Pied and Sooty Gray-tailed Tattler ■ The EAA Shorebird Site Oystercatchers; and Pheasant- Red-necked Stint Network identifies some of tailed Jacanas. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper the flyway’s most important Spoon-billed Sandpiper sites for shorebirds. As of July ■ The greatest threats to Spotted Greenshank 2002, this network contained 31 shorebirds in the flyway come sites in ten countries. Wildlife from loss and degradation of scientists estimate that about 400 wetlands from agriculture, sites in the EAA are critical to pollution, overfishing, logging, shorebirds. and soil erosion.

■ Wildlife scientists estimate at ■ Some of the most important least four million migratory shorebird sites along the flyway shorebirds use this flyway. include China’s Yellow Sea; Australia alone hosts at least two the Yalu Jiang National Nature million shorebirds at some time Reserve; Manko, on the island during the year. More than 60 of Okinawa in Japan; and the species of migratory shorebirds Moroshechnaya River estuary in use the flyway. Russia.

■ Wildlife scientists are concerned about the survival of 11 species of migratory shorebirds in this flyway. Some of the flyway’s most threatened shorebirds include the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Asian Painted Snipe, and Spotted

Greenshank.

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S M 80 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P Central Pacific Flyway

Route Description ■ This flyway is crucial for the Shorebirds Most Characteristic The Central Pacific Flyway Bristle-thighed Curlew, Pacific of the Central Pacific Flyway includes New Zealand and Golden-Plover, and Wandering With the exception of the Bristle- hundreds of islands spread over Tattler which spend the thighed Curlew, the shorebirds thousands of miles in the Pacific nonbreeding season on the on this list are common and can Ocean. Some of the island groups islands within this flyway. be observed by students. The include Hawaii, Guam and the list is also a “snapshot” of species Northern Mariana Islands, ■ Shorebird species in this flyway diversity in the flyway, providing Phoenix Islands, Line Islands, and perform incredible migratory a variety of natural history stories American Samoa. Most of the birds journeys. Bar-tailed Godwits to learn about. Shorebirds that are that use this flyway for migration appear to make a nonstop rare on this flyway are noted with or nonbreeding habitat fly to the 6500-mile flight Alaska to New an asterisk. Consider having your Arctic or sub Arctic regions of Zealand in the fall. Bristle- students research these shorebirds North America and Asia to breed. thighed Curlews and Pacific using this guide, the library, and Golden Plovers may fly over 3000 the World Wide Web. miles non-stop during both their Facts About fall and spring migrations. Pacific Golden-Plover the Flyway Wandering Tattler ■ Hawaii is home to an endangered Bristle-thighed Curlew ■ The Hawaiian and Pacific/ non-migratory shorebird, the Ruddy Turnstone Remote Islands National Hawaiian Stilt. Native Hawaiians Wildlife Refuges (NWR) play call this bird the ‘Ae‘o. an important role in shorebird migration in the Central Pacific ■ Threats in this flyway include Flyway. Some of the refuges in nonnative plants and animals, this complex include Midway land development, wetland Atoll NWR, Kealia Pond NWR drainage, water pollution, and on Maui, James Campbell NWR, disturbance. and Hanalei NWR on Kaua’i Island. Palmyra Atoll is another ■ Some species of migratory part of the Pacific/Remote shorebirds in this flyway are Islands NWR Complex. This is a also threatened by how little we group of about 50 islands near the know about them. For example, equator in the Line Islands. we could lose important habitats before we even know they are ■ Guam and islands off the coasts important. of Micronesia and Tahiti are also

important for shorebirds.

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S M 81 I Explore the World with Shorebirds! S A T R ER G S RO CHOOLS P