Charadrius hiaticula -- Linnaeus, 1758 ANIMALIA -- CHORDATA -- AVES -- CHARADRIIFORMES -- CHARADRIIDAE Common names: Common Ringed Plover; Grand Gravelot; Ringed Plover European Red List Assessment European Red List Status LC -- Least Concern, (IUCN version 3.1) Assessment Information Year published: 2015 Date assessed: 2015-03-31 Assessor(s): BirdLife International Reviewer(s): Symes, A. Compiler(s): Ashpole, J., Burfield, I., Ieronymidou, C., Pople, R., Van den Bossche, W., Wheatley, H. & Wright, L. Assessment Rationale European regional assessment: Least Concern (LC) EU27 regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)

In Europe this species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence 10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion (30% decline over ten years or three generations). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern in Europe.

Within the EU27 this species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence 10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (30% decline over ten years or three generations). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern in the EU27. Occurrence Countries/Territories of Occurrence Native: Albania; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Faroe Islands (to DK); Greenland (to DK); Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland, Rep. of; Italy; Latvia; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Malta; Montenegro; Netherlands; Norway; Svalbard and Jan Mayen (to NO); Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russian Federation; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom; Gibraltar (to UK) Vagrant: Liechtenstein Population The European population is estimated at 140,000-213,000 pairs, which equates to 280,000-426,000 mature individuals. The population in the EU27 is estimated at 24,600-37,400 pairs, which equates to 49,300-74,800 mature individuals. For details of national estimates, see Supplementary PDF. Trend In Europe the population size trend is unknown. In the EU27 the population size is estimated to be decreasing by less than 25% in 15.3 years (three generations). For details of national estimates, see Supplementary PDF. Habitats and Ecology The majority of this species is fully migratory (Hockey et al. 2005, Wiersma and Boesman 2013) and travels either on a broad or narrow front depending on the location of each population's breeding and wintering grounds. The species starts to breed from April until June, nesting in solitary pairs or loose semi-colonial groups (especially in undisturbed areas) (Wiersma and Boesman 2013). It is a gregarious species (Hayman et al. 1986) and often roosts communally in flocks of several hundred close to its feeding areas (Hayman et al. 1986, Wiersma and Boesman 2013), occurring singly, in small (up to 50 individuals) or large flocks (up to 1,200–1,500 individuals) during the non-breeding season (Urban et al. 1986). The species breeds primarily on sand or shingle beaches either along the Arctic coast (Hayman et al. 1986, Snow and Perrins 1998, Wiersma and Boesman 2013) or around coastal tundra pools or lakes (Johnsgard 1981). In the south of its range it may also breed inland on the Arctic tundra (Hayman et al. 1986, Wiersma and Boesman 2013) on muddy plains with stones or pebbles (Johnsgard 1981), on shores and sandbars of inland rivers, lakes, gravel pits or reservoirs (Hayman et al. 1986, Wiersma and Boesman 2013, Snow and Perrins 1998), or on short grassland, farmland (Snow and Perrins 1998, Wiersma and Boesman 2013) and other well-drained sites (Snow and Perrins 1998). Outside of the breeding season the species inhabits muddy, sandy or pebbly coasts in the tropics and subtropics (Johnsgard 1981) including estuaries (Wiersma and Boesman 2013), tidal mudflats and sandflats. It also frequents mudbanks or sandbanks along rivers and lakes (Urban et al. 1986), lagoons, saltmarshes, short grassland, farmland, flooded fields, gravel pits, reservoirs (Wiersma and Boesman 2013), sewage works and saltpans during this season (Hockey et al. 2005). Its diet consists of small crustaceans, molluscs, polychaete worms, isopods, amphipods, insects (e.g., ants, beetles, flies and fly larvae) and millipedes. The nest is a shallow scrape (Wiersma and Boesman 2013) positioned near the high-water mark on shingle or sandy beaches (Johnsgard 1981, Hayman et al. 1986). The species is a solitary nester although it may breed at quite high densities in undisturbed areas, neighbouring nests spaced between 5 and 100 m apart (Wiersma and Boesman 2013). Habitats & Altitude Habitat (level 1 - level 2) Importance Occurrence Artificial/Aquatic - Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land suitable non-breeding Grassland - Temperate suitable non-breeding Marine Coastal/Supratidal - Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes suitable breeding Marine Coastal/Supratidal - Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes suitable non-breeding Marine Coastal/Supratidal - Coastal Freshwater Lakes suitable breeding Marine Coastal/Supratidal - Coastal Freshwater Lakes suitable non-breeding Marine Intertidal - Mud Flats and Salt Flats suitable breeding Marine Intertidal - Mud Flats and Salt Flats suitable non-breeding Marine Intertidal - Rocky Shoreline suitable breeding Marine Intertidal - Rocky Shoreline suitable non-breeding Marine Intertidal - Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) suitable breeding Marine Intertidal - Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) suitable non-breeding Marine Intertidal - Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc suitable breeding Marine Intertidal - Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc suitable non-breeding Marine Intertidal - Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches suitable breeding Marine Intertidal - Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches suitable non-breeding Marine Intertidal - Tidepools suitable breeding Marine Intertidal - Tidepools suitable non-breeding Marine Neritic - Estuaries suitable breeding Marine Neritic - Estuaries suitable non-breeding Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over ha) suitable non-breeding Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) suitable non-breeding Altitude Occasional altitudinal limits Threats Important migratory stop-over habitats for this species on the Baltic Sea coastline are threatened by petroleum pollution, wetland drainage for irrigation, land abandonment and changing land management practices leading to scrub overgrowth (Grishanov et al. 2006). The species is also susceptible to avian botulism (so may be threatened by future outbreaks of the disease) (Blaker 1967), and suffers predation from feral American Mink (Neovison vison) in some regions (Nordstrom et al. 2003). Threats & Impacts Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses Agriculture & Annual & perennial Timing Scope Severity Impact aquaculture non-timber crops Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact Declines Stresses Ecosystem degradation Climate change & Habitat shifting & Timing Scope Severity Impact severe weather alteration Future Whole (>90%) Unknown Unknown Stresses Ecosystem degradation; Indirect ecosystem effects Human intrusions & Recreational Timing Scope Severity Impact disturbance activities Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact Declines Stresses Species disturbance Invasive and other American Mink Timing Scope Severity Impact problematic (Neovison vison) Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact species, genes & Declines diseases Stresses Species mortality Invasive and other Clostridium Timing Scope Severity Impact problematic botulinum Past, Likely to Majority (50-90%) Slow, Significant Past Impact species, genes & Return Declines diseases Stresses Species mortality Natural system Abstraction of Timing Scope Severity Impact modifications surface water Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact (unknown use) Declines Stresses Ecosystem degradation Natural system Other ecosystem Timing Scope Severity Impact modifications modifications Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact Declines Stresses Ecosystem degradation Pollution Oil spills Timing Scope Severity Impact Ongoing Minority (<50%) Rapid Declines Medium Impact Stresses Species mortality Residential & Commercial & Timing Scope Severity Impact commercial industrial areas Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact development Declines Stresses Ecosystem conversion Residential & Housing & urban Timing Scope Severity Impact commercial areas Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Low Impact development Declines Stresses Ecosystem degradation Conservation Conservation Actions Underway The species is listed on Annex II of the Bern Convention.

Conservation Actions Proposed Removing feral American Mink (Neovison vison) from a large archipelago with many small islands in the Baltic Sea resulted in an increase in the breeding density of this species in the area (Nordstrom et al. 2003). Pollution of wetland habitats, wetland drainage for irrigation, land abandonment and changing land management practices at breeding sites needs to be stopped. Bibliography Blaker, D. 1967. An outbreak of Botulinus poisoning among waterbirds. Ostrich 38(2): 144-147. Wiersma, P. & Boesman, P. (2013). Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.) (2013). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/53822 on 15 April 2015). Hayman, P.; Marchant, J.; Prater, A. J. 1986. Shorebirds. Croom Helm, London. Hockey, P. A. R.; Dean, W. R. J.; Ryan, P. G. 2005. Roberts birds of southern Africa. Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. Johnsgard, P. A. 1981. The plovers, sandpipers and snipes of the world. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, U.S.A. and London. Nordström, M.; Högmander, J.; Nummelin, J.; Laine, J.; Laanetu, N.; Korpimäki, E. 2003. Effects of feral mink removal on seabirds, waders and passerines on small islands in the Baltic Sea. Biological Conservation 109: 359-368. Snow, D. W.; Perrins, C. M. 1998. The Birds of the Western Palearctic vol. 1: Non-Passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Urban, E. K.; Fry, C. H.; Keith, S. 1986. The birds of Africa vol. II. Academic Press, London. Vahatalo, A. V.; Rainio, K.; Lehikoinen, A.; Lehikoinen, E. 2004. Spring arrival of birds depends on the North Atlantic Oscillation. Journal of Avian Biology 35: 210-216. Map (see overleaf)