Little is known about the distribution and status of the
population occurring in Alaska (Calidris canutus roselaari). The breeding
population in Alaska is at most a few thousand birds scattered across the montane
tundra of northern and northwestern Alaska (R. E. Gill, Jr., pers. comm.). A larger number of roselaari migrate through Alaska en route to Siberian
breeding grounds, presumably Wrangel Island (Harrington
2001). The current population size of this migrant population is thought to
be < 50,000 (R. E. Gill, Jr., pers. comm.), considerably lower than the estimates
of > 100,000 just a quarter century ago (Gill
and Handel 1990, Morrison et al. 2001).
Recent evidence suggests that populations of other subspecies of Red Knot have
been declining, some precipitously, within the past three years (e.g., Baker et
al. 2004, Morrison et al. 2004). C.
c. roselaari may mix on some wintering areas in South America with the subspecies C. c. rufa, whose population size plummeted by nearly 50% from 2000–2002
and whose adult survival rate dropped by 37% from 2000–2001. Knots are killed
for food in some regions of South America, especially in the Guianas, and for
sport in Barbados. The extent of this take is suspected to be substantial. As
with several other species of high conservation concern, knots concentrate dramatically
at a few non-breeding sites along temperate coastlines, which makes them vulnerable
to varied anthropogenic environmental perturbations.
