Shorebirds

Dunlin

Two subspecies of Dunlin (Calidris alpina arcticola and C. a. pacifica) nest in Alaska, the former exclusively while a very small fraction of the latter occasionally nests east into Canada (Warnock and Gill 1996). The population size of C. a. arcticola is < 650,000 (D. Troy, pers. comm.). Despite the large population size, this race is considered highly imperiled (Brown et al. 2001) because significant declines have been documented in a local population on the North Slope (D. Troy, pers. comm.), and non-breeding habitat in East Asia continues to be lost at an alarming rate (Barter 2003). The estimated population size of C. a. pacifica is also large, at 550,000. Similar to arcticola, however, this species is of high conservation concern because of probable population declines, significant threats during the non-breeding season (e.g., extreme concentrations near oil-shipping lanes in Prince William Sound) and its small breeding range (Brown et al. 2001).

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Last Updated: September 18, 2008