Identification of key areas for oversummering of Calidris canutus rufa in Argentina

LOREDO MA; ROSENTHAL A; BATTAGLIA, G; FERNANDEZ J; GONZALEZ P; ISACCH JP; MARTÍNEZ CURCI NS

Congreso; 9na reunión del grupo de aves playeras del hemisferio occidental; 2022

Calidris canutus rufa is one of the Nearctic migratory species with the most adverse conservation status within the Western Hemisphere. Most of the individuals from Tierra del Fuego do not return to the breeding grounds during their first year of life, and we have little understanding of the sites they use. In 2021 we promoted a citizen science campaign to identify sites holding significant numbers of over-summering individuals in Argentina. Information was collected by eBird or direct communication. We also conducted fortnightly or monthly surveys at Faro Querandí Natural Reserve. We identified four sites that hold al least 1% of the population of C. c. rufa from Tierra del Fuego during the austral winter: Mar Chiquita, Faro Querandí, Villa Gesell-Cariló and Punta Rasa; all of them in Buenos Aires province. Records of banded individuals indicated birds’ movements among those sites. Highest abundances were recorded at Faro Querandí, with a maximum of600 individuals observed in May. There, abundance varied throughout the year, with the maximum during the over-summering and minimum during the non-breeding period. This suggests primary over-summering areas are not linked to the main non-breeding areas and highlights the need to consider specific actions for this life cycle stage in conservation strategies.