Danger, Risk and Anti-Predator Behavior in the Life History of Long-Distance Migratory Sandpipers

Two recent and independent studies both estimate substantially lower survival rates of semipalmated Calidris pusilla than of western C. mauri sandpipers, consistent with the pronounced multi-decade population decline of the former. Migratory danger has climbed steadily for both these long-distance migrants since the mid-1970s as the number of peregrine falcons Falco peregrinus increased. These predators are present on the Pacific flyway as co-migrants and are a natural (though now more abundant) feature of western sandpiper southbound migrations. Adjustments to migratory speed, timing and routing enable them to mitigate the danger. On the Atlantic flyway peregrines were introduced and breeding populations established in the 1980s at key staging areas, creating a novel hazard for southbound semipalmated sandpipers. Adjustments to migratory timing and speed do not aid in eluding such resident predators, and alternative routes are not available. Semipalmated sandpipers as a consequence have few effective defenses to counter this heightened danger, and we hypothesize that migratory mortality has increased, making over-summering (i.e. skipping a breeding season) more advantageous. The risk effects (i.e. the consequent reduction in population growth rate) so generated are substantial, and may be able to account for a large portion of the population decline.