COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report on the Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus in Canada ENDANGERED 2000 COSEWIC COSEPAC COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF COMITÉ SUR LA SITUATION DES ENDANGERED WILDLIFE ESPÈCES EN PÉRIL IN CANADA AU CANADA COSEWIC status reports are working documents used in assigning the status of wildlife species suspected of being at risk. This report may be cited as follows: Please note: Persons wishing to cite data in the report should refer to the report (and cite the author(s)); persons wishing to cite the COSEWIC status will refer to the assessment (and cite COSEWIC). A production note will be provided if additional information on the status report history is required. COSEWIC 2000. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vii + 24 pp. Wershler, C.R. 2000. Update COSEWIC status report on the Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus in Canada, in COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-24 pp. Previous report: Wershler, C.R. 1987. COSEWIC status report on the Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 40 pp. For additional copies contact: COSEWIC Secretariat c/o Canadian Wildlife Service Environment Canada Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Tel.: (819) 997-4991 / (819) 953-3215 Fax: (819) 994-3684 E-mail: COSEWIC/[email protected] http://www.cosewic.gc.ca Également disponible en français sous le titre Rapport du COSEPAC sur la situation du Pluvier montagnard (Charadrius montanus) au Canada – Mise à jour Cover illustration: Mountain Plover — Judie Shore, Richmond Hill, Ontario. Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2002 Catalogue No. CW69-14/117-2002E-IN ISBN 0-662-31887-0 Recycled paper COSEWIC Assessment Summary Assessment Summary – November 2000 Common name Mountain Plover Scientific name Charadrius montanus Status Endangered Reason for designation This species occurs in extremely low numbers in Canada; it is dependent on habitats resulting from overgrazing, which are very rare in Canada. Occurrence Alberta, Saskatchewan Status history Designated Endangered in April 1987. Status re-examined and confirmed in November 2000. iii COSEWIC Executive Summary Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus Description The Mountain Plover resembles a small Killdeer in shape but has less striking plumage. Upper parts are buff-grey and under parts are whitish washed with buff. Breeding adults have black and white patterning on the forehead. The call note, a low harsh krrip, is distinctive. Distribution The breeding range is in the western Great Plains and extends from southern Canada to Texas. The major wintering range is in California but also includes portions of northern Mexico, southern Arizona and southern Texas. In Canada, breeding is restricted to a narrow strip along the 49th Parallel in the southeastern corner of Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. The North American breeding range has contracted from former times, especially along its eastern edge. In the northern portion, Mountain Plovers have been extirpated from the northern edge of Montana which used to be continuous breeding range with Canada. Two sub-populations are known in Canada: one in the southeastern corner of Alberta and one in southwestern Saskatchewan. Since 1979, nesting has been recorded at four sites in Alberta and evidence of nesting has been recorded at one site in Saskatchewan. The species has been extirpated from an additional site in Alberta where it was thought to have bred in 1941. Habitat Habitat features in the breeding and wintering range include short vegetation, bare ground, and flat topography. Grazing animals and black-tailed prairie dogs are important in maintaining suitable breeding habitat. Preferred breeding habitat is typically heavily grazed grassland, but in some cases less heavily grazed areas can create suitable habitat when associated with environments disturbed by black-tailed prairie dog towns or recent burns. iv Cultivated fields are sometimes used for nesting, especially in the southern part of the North American range. General Biology The Mountain Plover arrives on its Canadian breeding grounds in April and nesting occurs from May to July. From late July to late October, birds can be found in family groups or post-breeding flocks across their breeding range. Most birds arrive on their wintering range by early November. The breeding system of the Mountain Plover is unique among North American shorebirds. A clutch of three eggs, instead of the typical four, is laid by the female in a depression on the ground. Often, this clutch is incubated by the male and the female will lay a second clutch of three eggs that she will incubate. Eggs hatch in about a month and young fledge in about 35 days. Many birds will return to the same breeding area the next year, but this species also appears to be able to wander and find suitable nesting habitat in new areas if the old sites are unsuitable. Population Size and Trends The continental population of Mountain Plovers is estimated at 8,000-10,000 adults. Between 1966 and 1991, a decline of an estimated 63 percent has been estimated for the continental population. Breeding Bird Survey trend analyses for this period estimated a decline of 2.7 percent annually, the largest decline of all endemic grassland bird species. Because of a lack of survey data from across the Canadian range, it is difficult to estimate breeding populations. However, for the past twenty years the population of adult birds in Canada has probably been less than 50. In the Alberta sub-population, a maximum of 11 adults was recorded in 1981 compared with a maximum of 2 adults since 1985. Limiting Factors and Threats The decline in the continental population has been attributed to conversion of native grassland, agricultural practices, management of domestic livestock, decline of native herbivores, and possibly pesticides. In Canada, the major threat to the population is current range management practices which discourage heavily grazed grassland, thereby restricting suitable breeding habitat. The resultant small, isolated breeding populations are therefore more vulnerable to natural events such as weather extremes and predation. v Existing Protection The Mountain Plover has been listed as an Endangered species since 1987 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. In Alberta it is listed as an “endangered animal” and a peripheral species, occurring at the limit of its breeding range. Besides status reports, management plans, and partial surveys of populations and habitats, no conservation work has been carried out for this species in Canada to date. In 1999, the Mountain Plover was recommended for Threatened status in the United States by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. vi COSEWIC MANDATE The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) determines the national status of wild species, subspecies, varieties, and nationally significant populations that are considered to be at risk in Canada. Designations are made on all native species for the following taxonomic groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, lepidopterans, molluscs, vascular plants, lichens, and mosses. COSEWIC MEMBERSHIP COSEWIC comprises representatives from each provincial and territorial government wildlife agency, four federal agencies (Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Federal Biosystematic Partnership), three nonjurisdictional members and the co-chairs of the species specialist groups. The committee meets to consider status reports on candidate species. DEFINITIONS Species Any indigenous species, subspecies, variety, or geographically defined population of wild fauna and flora. Extinct (X) A species that no longer exists. Extirpated (XT) A species no longer existing in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere. Endangered (E) A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction. Threatened (T) A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed. Special Concern (SC)* A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events. Not at Risk (NAR)** A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk. Data Deficient (DD)*** A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to support status designation. * Formerly described as “Vulnerable” from 1990 to 1999, or “Rare” prior to 1990. ** Formerly described as “Not In Any Category”, or “No Designation Required.” *** Formerly described as “Indeterminate” from 1994 to 1999 or “ISIBD” (insufficient scientific information on which to base a designation) prior to 1994. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created in 1977 as a result of a recommendation at the Federal-Provincial Wildlife Conference held in 1976. It arose from the need for a single, official, scientifically sound, national listing of wildlife species at risk. In 1978, COSEWIC designated its first species and produced its first list of Canadian species at risk. Species designated at meetings of the full committee are added to the list. Environment Environnement Canada Canada Canada Canadian Wildlife Service canadien Service de la faune The Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment