Pacific and American Golden-Plovers: reflections on conservation needs

Much has been learned about the biology of Pacific and American Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis fulva and P. dominica)in recent years. However, most of this information does not address conservation-related questionsaffecting the future of these birds. We lack accurate demographic figures (guesstimates of world populationvary more than 30-fold in each species), and population trends are uncertain. Reports of large springaggregations (fulva in northeastern Mongolia and dominica in west-central Indiana) suggest stopover sites ofhemispheric importance that urgently need further evaluation and possible protection. Little is known concerningvarious anthropogenic threats including contaminants, loss of habitat, and hunting. In contrast to fulva,dominica do not readily co-exist with humans during the nonbreeding season; also much of their South Americanwinter range has been converted to croplands. Thus, of the two species, dominica appears to be the mostat risk.

Johnson, O.W. 2003, Wader Study Group Bull. 100: 10-13.