Distribution

Breeding Range

From Higgins and Davies 1996 Higgins, P. J., and S. J. J. F. Davies (editors). (1996). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic birds. Volume 3. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Close and Engelmoer and Roselaar 1998 Engelmoer, M. and C. Roselaar. (1998). Geographical variation in waders. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publ. Close . Breeds n. Sweden, ne. Norway, and n. Finland. Breeding range discontinuous in Scandinavia, n. Siberia, and Russian Far East, with several apparently isolated populations from Kola Peninsula in west to Anadyr region in east.

Figure 1 . In the New World, limited to w. and n. Alaska (for subspecies, see Systematics, below). Southern extent of suspected breeding range on nw. Nushagak Peninsula, Bristol Bay (T. Pogson unpubl.). One Jun sighting in northern foothills of Ahklun Mtns., nw. Bristol Bay (White and Boyce 1978 White, C. M. and Jr. Boyce, D. A. (1978). A profile of various rivers and their raptor populations in western Alaska, 1977. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Bureau Land Manage. Close ). On Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, along coast from Nelson I. to mouth of Yukon River (Holmes and Black 1973 Holmes, R. T., and C. P. Black (1973). Ecological distribution of birds in the Kolomak River-Askinuk Mountain region, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. Condor 75: 150–163. Close , Gill and Handel 1990 Gill, Jr., R. E. and C. M. Handel. (1990). The importance of subarctic intertidal habitats to shorebirds: a case study of the central Yukon-Kuskokwim delta, Alaska. Condor 92:709-725. Close , Andres et al. 1999 Andres, B., D. Brann and B. Browne. (1999). Inventory of breeding birds on local training areas of the Alaska Army National Guard. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Close , T. Bowman pers. comm., BJM). Status uncertain in lowlands of Kuskokwim Delta southeast of Nelson I.; area seldom visited by ornithologists (Andres et al. 1999 Andres, B., D. Brann and B. Browne. (1999). Inventory of breeding birds on local training areas of the Alaska Army National Guard. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Close ). Formerly in coastal wetlands near St. Michael and Stebbins (Nelson 1887a Nelson, E. W. (1887). Birds of Alaska with a partial bibliography of Alaska ornithology. In Report upon Natural History Collections Made in Alaska Between the Years 1877 and 1881 (H. W. Henshaw, Editor). Signal Service, U.S. Army, Arctic Series Publication 3. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, USA. pp. 19–226. Close , Gabrielson and Lincoln 1959 Gabrielson, I. N., and F. C. Lincoln (1959). The Birds of Alaska. Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, PA, USA. Close ), but not detected recently (Andres et al. 1999 Andres, B., D. Brann and B. Browne. (1999). Inventory of breeding birds on local training areas of the Alaska Army National Guard. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Close ). Inland on central Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta east to Atmautluak on Johnson River (Andres et al. 1999 Andres, B., D. Brann and B. Browne. (1999). Inventory of breeding birds on local training areas of the Alaska Army National Guard. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Close ). In s. Nulato Hills north and east of lower Yukon River, through Andreafsky Wilderness, northeast to at least northwestern headwaters of Anvik River (BJM). Uncommon breeder at Koyuk and Moses Point at head of Norton Sound (Woodby and Divoky 1983 Woodby, D. and G. Divoky. (1983). Bird use of coastal habitats in Norton Sound. Environmental Assessment of the Alaskan Continental Shelf, Final. Rep. Principal Invest., Biological Studies Vol. 18:353-704. Close ) and rare possible breeder at Unalakleet on e. Norton Sound (Andres et al. 1999 Andres, B., D. Brann and B. Browne. (1999). Inventory of breeding birds on local training areas of the Alaska Army National Guard. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Close ). On Seward Peninsula, breeds west of treeline (about 163°W) in southern and northern uplands, northwest to coastal regions near Lopp Lagoon and possibly Shishmaref (Bailey 1948 Bailey, A. M. (1948). Birds of Arctic Alaska. Colorado Museum of Natural History, Popular Series 8. Close , Kessel 1989 Kessel, B. (1989). Birds of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska: Their Biogeography, Seasonality and Natural History. University of Alaska Press, Fairbanks, AK, USA. Close , Andres et al. 1999 Andres, B., D. Brann and B. Browne. (1999). Inventory of breeding birds on local training areas of the Alaska Army National Guard. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Close ). In nw. Alaska, in coastal lowlands around Kotzebue Sound (Bailey 1948 Bailey, A. M. (1948). Birds of Arctic Alaska. Colorado Museum of Natural History, Popular Series 8. Close , Schroeder 1995 Schroeder, M. T. (1995). Monitoring shorebird and waterfowl use at Krusenstern Lagoon, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Alaska: 1991-1993 summary. Anchorage, AK: Natl. Park Serv. Close , Andres et al. 1999 Andres, B., D. Brann and B. Browne. (1999). Inventory of breeding birds on local training areas of the Alaska Army National Guard. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Close ), in coastal mountains north of Cape Krusenstern (Gill et al. 1996a Gill, Jr., R. E., M. T. Schroeder and J. M. Schnorr. (1996a). An assessment of the breeding status of Bristle-thighed Curlews (Numenius tahitiensis) and other montane nesting shorebirds within Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Alaska. Anchorage: Natl. Biol. Surv., Alaska Sci. Center. Close ), north to Lisburne Peninsula (White and Boyce 1978 White, C. M. and Jr. Boyce, D. A. (1978). A profile of various rivers and their raptor populations in western Alaska, 1977. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Bureau Land Manage. Close ), and east to upper Kivalina River (D. Troy pers. comm.). On north slope of Brooks Range, in foothills of DeLong Mtns. east to at least Utukok River (White and Boyce 1978 White, C. M. and Jr. Boyce, D. A. (1978). A profile of various rivers and their raptor populations in western Alaska, 1977. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Bureau Land Manage. Close , R. Suydam pers. comm., REG). To northeast, most records from coastal plain and northern foothills in belt between about 69°40'N and 70°45'N (Bailey 1948 Bailey, A. M. (1948). Birds of Arctic Alaska. Colorado Museum of Natural History, Popular Series 8. Close , Kessel and Cade 1958 Kessel, B., and T. J. Cade (1958). Birds of the Colville River, northern Alaska. Biological Papers of the University of Alaska 2. Close , Maher 1959 Maher, W. J. (1959). Habitat distribution of birds breeding along the upper Kaolak River, northern Alaska. Condor 61:351-368. Close , McCaffery et al. 1982 McCaffery, B. J., R. O. Burgess and W. C. Hanson. (1982). Inland coastal tundra. American Birds 36:96. Close , Hohenberger et al. 1994 Hohenberger, C. J., W. C. Hanson and E. E. Burroughs. (1994). Birds of the Prudhoe Bay region, northern Alaska. Western Birds 25:73-103. Close , Cotter and Andres 2000 Cotter, P. A. and B. A. Andres. (2000). Nesting density of shorebirds inland from the Beaufort Sea Coast, Alaska. Canadian Field-Naturalist 114:287-291. Close , T. Swem pers. comm.). Does not breed in Barrow region (sensu Pitelka 1974 Pitelka, F. A. (1974). An avifaunal review for the Barrow region and North Slope of Arctic Alaska. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 6:161–184. Close , contra Bailey 1948 Bailey, A. M. (1948). Birds of Arctic Alaska. Colorado Museum of Natural History, Popular Series 8. Close ). Except on Colville River delta, rare near coast east of Barrow; possibly breeds within 13 km of coast south of Prudhoe Bay (Pitelka 1974 Pitelka, F. A. (1974). An avifaunal review for the Barrow region and North Slope of Arctic Alaska. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 6:161–184. Close , Derksen et al. 1981 Derksen, D. V., T. C. Rothe, and W. D. Eldridge (1981). Use of wetland habitats by birds in the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska. U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC. Close , Johnson and Herter 1989 Johnson, S. R., and D. R. Herter (1989). The Birds of the Beaufort Sea. BP Exploration, Anchorage, Alaska, USA. Close , Field 1993 Field, R. (1993). Bird-habitat associations on the coastal plain of northcentral Alaska. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Close , Hohenberger et al. 1994 Hohenberger, C. J., W. C. Hanson and E. E. Burroughs. (1994). Birds of the Prudhoe Bay region, northern Alaska. Western Birds 25:73-103. Close , M. North pers. comm.). Breeds inland east to Franklin Bluffs (McCaffery et al. 1982 McCaffery, B. J., R. O. Burgess and W. C. Hanson. (1982). Inland coastal tundra. American Birds 36:96. Close ). May and Jun sightings farther south in foothills and farther east to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, respectively, but no breeding evidence; most sightings on the refuge near Canning River Delta, but as far east as Jago River (Garner and Reynolds 1986 Garner, G. W. and P. E. Reynolds. (1986). "Birds." In Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain Assessment: final report baseline study of the fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Close , Hohenberger et al. 1994 Hohenberger, C. J., W. C. Hanson and E. E. Burroughs. (1994). Birds of the Prudhoe Bay region, northern Alaska. Western Birds 25:73-103. Close ). For winter range of North American breeders, see Migration: timing and routes of migration, below.

Nonbreeding Range

In winter, concentrations occur along Atlantic coasts of Europe and Africa from British Isles south to s. Africa, along northwest coast of Indian Ocean, and in Australasia from sw. China to Australia and New Zealand, including Indochina, Indonesia, and islands of sw. Pacific. See also Migration: timing and routes of migration, below. Also casual in Iceland, Faeroe Is., Cape Verde Is., and Hawaiian Is. (American Ornithologists' Union 1998a American Ornithologists' Union (1998). Check-list of North American Birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA. Close ).

Other Records

Outside Alaska, accidental to extremely rare in spring and fall (most records fall period) on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America, also accidental in Bermuda (American Ornithologists' Union 1998a American Ornithologists' Union (1998). Check-list of North American Birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA. Close ). Accidental in Virgin Is. and Venezuela (Mercier et al. 1987 Mercier, F., R. McNeil and J. R. Rodrigues. (1987). First occurrence of Bar-tailed Godwit in South America and status of the Marbled Godwit in northeastern Venezuela. Journal of Field Ornithology 58:78-80. Close , American Ornithologists' Union 1998a American Ornithologists' Union (1998). Check-list of North American Birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA. Close ). Sight reports for Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia (American Ornithologists' Union 1998a American Ornithologists' Union (1998). Check-list of North American Birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA. Close ). Atlantic coast records likely all nominate lapponica from Europe (REG).

No information for baueri; for Palearctic populations shifts in range (and numbers) noted during twentieth century: e.g., marked shifts in use of Great Britain estuaries (Hale 1980 Hale, W. G. (1980). Waders. London: Collins. Close ); many fewer birds using e. Africa estuaries since 1979 (Zwarts et al. 1998 Zwarts, L., J. van der Kamp, O. Overdijk, T. van Spanje and R. Veldkamp. (1998). Wader counts of the Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania, in January/February 1997. Wader Study Group Bulletin 86:53-69. Close ); steady decline in numbers about e. Kola Peninsula, Siberia, since 1930 (Gilyazov 1998 Gilyazov, A. S. (1998). Long-term changes in wader populations at the Lapland Nature Reserve and surroundings: 1987-1991. International Wader Studies 10:170-174. Close ).