Buff-breasted sandpiper  (Tryngites subruficollis)

At the end of the 19th century the buff-breasted sandpiper numbered in the hundreds of thousands to perhaps millions, but was brought to the brink of extinction in the early 1920s by hunting. Although the population has now increased, it still stands at just 5,000 – 15,000 individuals. It is notoriously difficult to assess numbers of this species since it is faithful to neither the breeding grounds nor the wintering grounds, but it is thought to be in decline. The modern threats are not understood but it has been suggested that habitat change at the breeding sites has prevented adequate reproductive rates. It appears to rely on intensive grazing by livestock, but previously grazed pampas is being converted to agricultural land. It may also be susceptible to the agricultural pesticides used in the regions passed through on migration (8).

Conservation action for the buff-breasted sandpiper is in the early stages, with work being done to preserve grassland habitats. More survey work to determine the range and distribution of this species is planned, but it is known to be present in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (6).