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Shorebirds

Libby Osnes Erie and Aimee Greenebaum

Natural History

Shorebirds are found on every continent except Antarctica. Numbering more than 214 species
worldwide, about a third of these species touch down in North America on their intercontinental
travels and, of these, 49 species breed here regularly. Five major shorebird families found in North
America include Scolopacidae (sandpipers), Charadriidae (plovers), Haematopodidae (oyster-
catchers), Recurvirostridae (American Avocet and Black‐necked Stilt), and Jacanidae (Northern
Jacana). Shorebird migrations are among the most spectacular animal movements in the Western
Hemisphere, spanning up to 15 000 miles (25 000 km), much of it over inhospitable oceans
(Thurston 1996). Not all shorebirds are long‐distance migrants. Many species winter in coastal and
interior areas of the United States and Mexico. The majority, however, reach the Neotropics, in
Central and South America.
Shorebirds usually occur near water but can be found in a wide variety of habitats, from tundra
to grasslands to forests to open oceans. They spend two‐thirds to three‐quarters of their year on
migration routes and wintering grounds, largely in tidal environments where they feed on marine
invertebrates. The far‐flung network of coastal and interior wetlands, rich in invertebrates, is
critical to their ability to complete their annual cycle (Thurston 1996).
The variability in bill morphology of shorebirds results in a wide variety of feeding niches. Where
a shorebird species is likely to be found feeding, in relation to the tide line and other birds, is
determined by the length of its bill and, to a degree, the length of its legs (Thurston 1996). They
generally feed by picking, probing, or scything.
Shorebirds are gregarious. On their migratory stopover sites and wintering grounds, they congre-
gate in flocks varying in size from a few individuals to hundreds of thousands. During the breeding
season, however, they disperse. These species display a great diversity of mating systems that seem
to relate to the best use of available resources, including monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, and
sequential polyandry (Thurston 1996).
The incubation period for most shorebirds is relatively brief (17–39 days, depending on the spe-
cies). Shorebird chicks are extremely precocial; that is, they are capable of moving around on their
own very soon after hatching. As soon as they dry, they stumble from the nest and begin pecking
for insects. On day 1, the chicks preen, exercise their wings, and crouch when warned by parents.
With the exception of oystercatchers, shorebird parents do not feed their young but rather lead
them to foraging areas. Oystercatcher young are fed by their parents for up to 1 month or more and

Hand-Rearing Birds, Second Edition. Edited by Rebecca S. Duerr and Laurie J. Gage.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.