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Bird Conservation > Waterbird Conservation >

Waterbirds in regions of high row-crop production

White Ibis. © Howard B. Eskin

Yellow-headed blackbird. © Howard B. Eskin

Red Knot. © Howard B. Eskin

One hundred forty-six species of waterbirds regularly occur in bird conservation regions where greater than 10% of the land is in row-crop production. Most have exhibited long-term continental increases in population but thirty-nine species have decreasing populations.

Waterbird species with increasing populations

Waterbird species with decreasing populations

Waterbird species with stable populations

Waterbird species with insufficient data

TABLE 1: Species with increasing populations (71 spp.)

Common Name

Scientific Name

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Dendrocygna autumnalis

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Snow Goose

Chen caerulescens

Ross's Goose

Chen rossii

Canada Goose (including Cackling)

Branta canadensis (including Branta hutchinsii)

Trumpeter Swan

Cygnus buccinator

Wood Duck

Aix sponsa

Gadwall

Anas strepera

American Wigeon

Anas americana

American Black Duck

Anas rubripes

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Northern Shoveler

Anas clypeata

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris

White-winged Scoter

Melanitta fusca

Bufflehead

Bucephala albeola

Common Goldeneye

Bucephala clangula

Hooded Merganser

Lophodytes cucullatus

Ruddy Duck

Oxyura jamaicensis

Common Loon

Gavia immer

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Red-necked Grebe

Podiceps grisegena

Eared Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Double-crested Cormorant

Phalacrocorax penicillatus

Anhinga

Anhinga anhinga

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

Great Egret

Ardea alba

Snowy Egret

Egretta thula

Reddish Egret

Egretta rufescens

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

White Ibis

Eudocimus albus

Glossy Ibis

Plegadis falcinellus

White-faced Ibis

Plegadis chihi

Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja

Wood Stork

Mycteria americana

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Yellow Rail

Coturnicops novaboracensis

Virginia Rail

Rallus limicola

Common Moorhen

Gallinula chloropus

Sandhill Crane

Grus canadensis

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

American Oystercatcher

Haematopus palliatus

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Upland Sandpiper

Bartramia longicauda

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

Long-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus scolopaceus

Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

Laughing Gull

Larus atricilla

Franklin's Gull

Larus pipixcan

Bonaparte's Gull

Larus philadelphia

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

California Gull

Larus californicus

Thayer's & Iceland Gulls

Larus thayeri, Larus glaucoides

Caspian Tern

Sterna caspia

Royal Tern

Sterna maxima

Forster's Tern

Sterna forsteri

Black Phoebe

Sayornis nigricans

Eastern Phoebe

Sayornis phoebe

Fish Crow

Corvus ossifragus

Sedge Wren

Cistothorus platensis

Marsh Wren

Cistothorus palustris

Louisiana Waterthrush

Seiurus motacilla

Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Ammodramus nelsoni

Swamp Sparrow

Melospiza georgiana

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Boat-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus major

TABLE 2: Species with decreasing populations (39 spp.)

Common Name

Scientific Name

Tundra Swan

Cygnus columbianus

Mottled Duck

Anas fulvigula

Cinnamon Teal

Anas cyanoptera

Northern Pintail

Anas acuta

Canvasback

Aythya valisineria

Greater Scaup

Aythya marila

Lesser Scaup

Aythya affinis

Long-tailed Duck

Clangula hyemalis

Yellow-billed Loon

Gavia adamsii

Horned Grebe

Podiceps auritus

Clark's & Western Grebes (combined)

Aechmophorus clarkii, Aechmophorus occidentalis

American Bittern

Botaurus lentiginosus

Little Blue Heron

Egretta caerulea

Cattle Egret

Bubulcus ibis

Green Heron

Butorides virescens

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Nyctanassa violacea

King Rail

Rallus elegans

American Coot

Fulica americana

American & Pacific Golden-Plovers

Pluvialis dominica, Pluvialis fulva

Wilson's Plover

Charadrius wilsonia

Piping Plover

Charadrius melodus

Mountain Plover

Charadrius montanus

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Long-billed Curlew

Numenius americanus

Western Sandpiper

Calidris mauri

Wilson's Snipe

Gallinago delicata

Herring Gull

Larus argentatus

Common Tern

Sterna hirundo

Least Tern

Sterna antillarum

Black Tern

Chlidonias niger

Bank Swallow

Riparia riparia

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Le Conte's Sparrow

Ammodramus leconteii

Seaside Sparrow

Ammodramus maritimus

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Rusty Blackbird

Euphagus carolinus

TABLE 3: Species with stable populations (27 spp.)

Common Name

Scientific Name

Blue-winged Teal

Anas discors

Green-winged Teal

Anas crecca

Redhead

Aythya americana

Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

Least Bittern

Ixobrychus exilis

Tricolored Heron

Egretta tricolor

Black Rail

Laterallus jamaicensis

Sora

Porzana carolina

Black-bellied Plover

Pluvialis squatarola

Snowy Plover

Charadrius alexandrinus

Killdeer

Charadrius vociferus

Willet

Catoptrophorus semipalmatus

Marbled Godwit

Limosa fedoa

Sanderling

Calidris alba

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Dunlin

Calidris alpina

American Woodcock

Scolopax minor

Belted Kingfisher

Ceryle alcyon

Alder Flycatcher

Empidonax alnorum

Purple Martin

Progne subis

Tree Swallow

Tachycineta bicolor

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

American Dipper

Cinclus mexicanus

Northern Waterthrush

Seiurus noveboracensis

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

TABLE 4: Species with insufficient data (9 spp.)

Common Name

Scientific Name

Eskimo Curlew

Numenius borealis

Hudsonian Godwit

Limosa haemastica

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusilla

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollis

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Tryngites subruficollis

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus