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Sources: USFWS and WHSRN,
Conservation
Plan for the Buff-breasted Sandpiper
, 2010;
Birdlife International website, accessed in
September 2011.
Migration of grassland birds
in the Americas
Pacific
Ocean
South Atlantic
Ocean
Buff-breasted sandpiper
Chestnut seedeater
Breeding area
Non-breeding range
Migratory route
Breeding area
Non-breeding range
Migratory route
Threats to migration pathways
The fragmentation, degradation and loss of grassland ecosystems
in southern South America by human activities are key threats to
grassland bird populations. These important habitats are being
placed at risk by unsustainable agricultural activities, pollution
from pesticides and other agrochemicals, conversion to pasture
land for cattle, and the transformation of natural grassland into
eucalyptus and pine plantations for paper production. Long
distance migrants, such as the buff-breasted sandpiper, are even
more vulnerable to habitat loss as they also face stresses on their
breeding grounds and along their migration routes.
Opportunities for ecological networks
Unlike various waterbird species, many grassland bird species do
not usually congregate in great concentrations at discrete sites.
Instead, there are areas that attract large numbers of both breeding
and non-breeding populations and can be considered as important
strongholds for grassland species. The Convention on Migratory
Species (UNEP/CMS) and the governments of Argentina, Bolivia,
Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, in collaboration with BirdLife
International and Asociacion Guyra Paraguay, have drawn up an
action plan that identifies conservation measures for the protection
of these birds and their habitats. The action plan focuses on the
identification of new protected areas to create a network of habitats.
In addition, it recommends actions to be taken outside of protected
areas to help conserve habitat on private lands. International
cooperation will also be important to encourage conservation
actions at breeding, non-breeding, and migration stopover sites
outside of this region.
Figure 21:
Migration of grassland birds in America.