The historical breeding range of Long-billed Curlews (Numenius
americanus) was the western U.S. and the southern Canadian Prairie
Provinces from California north to British Columbia and east to
southern Manitoba and Wisconsin, northern Iowa and eastern Kansas.
However, this breeding distribution has contracted and Long-billed
Curlews have lost about 30% of their historical range. The eastern
edge of the current breeding range is the western Great Plains from
the Texas panhandle north throughout southwestern and south central
Saskatchewan. Long-billed Curlews currently winter along the
southwestern U.S. coast from central California, southern Texas and
Louisiana south along both of Mexico's coasts to Guatemala, and are
casual along the Atlantic coast north to New Brunswick, the
southeastern South Carolina and Florida coasts, and the West
Indies. Long-billed Curlews are federally protected in the U.S.,
Canada, and Mexico under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In the
U.S., they are listed as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bird of
Conservation Concern: nationally, in five U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service regions, and in several Bird Conservation Regions. They are
listed as a species of concern in several U.S. states. In Canada,
they are on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act as a "Species of
Special Concern" and are "Blue Listed" in Alberta and British
Columbia. In addition, they are listed as "Highly Imperiled" in
both the U.S. and Canadian shorebird conservation plans.
Long-billed Curlews are a protected migratory bird species but do
not have an official conservation designation in Mexico. The high
levels of concern are due to the loss of the eastern third of their
historical breeding range and apparent population declines,
particularly in the shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies of the
western Great Plains. The Breeding Bird Survey does not show any
significant trends for Long-billed Curlews throughout much of their
range; however, the applicability of BBS to adequately monitor
Longbilled Curlews has been questioned. Documented declines have
occurred in several portions of their range, including historical
population declines, the contraction of breeding range, and
reductions in the number of migrants along the Atlantic coast.
Initial population declines were attributed to over-hunting and
plowing of the native prairies for agriculture. Current threats
include habitat loss and destruction due to urban development,
grassland conversion for agricultural purposes, changes in the
natural fire regime and the spread of exotic invasive species.
Predation, grazing practices, energy development, diseases, and
pesticides may also threaten Longbilled Curlew populations.
Long-billed Curlews breed, migrate, and winter across multiple
geographical ranges; therefore, effective conservation actions will
require cooperation by local, regional, and international entities.
Several important steps have been taken towards identifying
limiting factors affecting Longbilled Curlew populations. Current
conservation needs include: population monitoring, breeding ground
studies that identify local micro-habitat use, and identification
of critical wintering and migration areas. The development and use
of management recommendations for maintaining native grasslands,
invasive species control, and water and wetland conservation are
also important to the maintenance of Long-billed Curlew
populations. Investigation of the effects of energy development and
subsequent operations is increasingly important as the demand for
alternative "green" energy sources increases. Public outreach will
continue to be an important tool in the conservation of Long-billed
Curlew populations. Currently, while there are very few specific
Long-billed Curlew management and conservation projects on-going,
there are many identified needs. This status assessment and
conservation action plan is intended to be a summary of the current
state of the species, and a guide to its conservatio
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