Shorebirds and Bay Area Wetlands

The wetlands of the San Francisco Bay Area are critically important to many species of shorebirds. These areas account for a very high proportion of the shorebirds in the wetlands of the Pacific coast of the United States, excluding Alaska.

Move your cursor over a bird to see the percentage of shorebirds counted in San Francisco Bay Area wetlands to totals recorded for the entire Pacific coast of the contiguous United States, for each of 3 seasons.

Black-bellied Plover

Fall: 62% of 19,000

Winter: 59% of 21,000

Spring: 55% of 8,000

Semipalmated Plover

Fall: 52% of 4,200

Winter: 40% of 2,500

Spring: 47% of 4,500

Black-necked Stilt

Fall: 78% of 7,700

Winter: 90% of 5,600

Spring: 58% of 1,200

American Avocet

Fall: 96% of 18,600

Winter: 88% of 26,000

Spring: 86% of 4,200

Greater Yellowlegs

Fall: 41% of 1,100

Winter: 41% of 800

Spring: 26% of 1,500

Willet

Fall: 69% of 34,000

Winter: 58% of 29,000

Spring: 57% of 5,400

Long-billed Curlew

Fall: 66% of 3,000

Winter: 49% of 3,200

Spring: 46% of 900

Marbled Godwit

Fall: 62% of 40,500

Winter: 46% of 35,400

Spring: 68% of 26,800

Red Knot

Fall: 76% of 2,300

Winter: 43% of 1,500

Spring: 39% of 1,500

Western Sandpiper

Fall: 59% of 315,000

Winter: 68% of 182,000

Spring: 54% of 995,600

Least Sandpiper

Fall: 67% of 78,400

Winter: 39% of 37,000

Spring: 73% of 35,000

Dowitcher, spp.

Fall: 67% of 33,400

Winter: 65% of 29,100

Spring: 49% of 88,700

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Willet

Tringa
semipalmata

Long-billed Curlew

Numenius americanus

Marbled Godwit

Limosa fedoa

Red Knot

Calidris canutus

Western Sandpiper

Calidris mauri

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Dowitcher, spp.

Limnodromus

Sources

Shorebirds were counted by volunteers and biologists with Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Science as part of a study to determine the importance of wetland sites to shorebirds throughout the entire Pacific Flyway. Learn more.

Page, G. W., L. E. Stenzel, and J. E. Kjelmyr. 1999. Overview of Shorebird Abundance and Distribution in Wetlands of the Pacific Coast of the Contiguous United States. In Condor, Vol. 101, No. 3 (Aug., 1999), pp. 461-471.

Stenzel, L. E., C. M. Hickey, J. E. Kjelmyr, and G. W. Page. 2002. Abundance and distribution of shorebirds in the San Francisco Bay area. In Western Birds 33:69-98.

More information on this study and other conservation topics available at Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.

Bird drawings by Jerry Buzzel, courtesty of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. Page design by Nick Despota.