Willet (Tringa semipalmata) Conservation Status Review
Review Date = 05/03/2018
Range Extent
ScoreG - 200,000-2,500,000 km squared (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Comment313,865 square Kilometers from Natural Heritage Program range maps
Long-term Trend
ScoreE - Relatively Stable (±25% change)
CommentPrairie habitat has declined since European settlement, but reservoirs have been created to water stock and could potentially increase breeding habitat. It is possible but seems unlikely that breeding habitat has declined by more than 25%.
Short-term Trend
ScoreD - Declining. Decline of 10-30% in population, range, area occupied, and/or number or condition of occurrences
CommentBreeding Bird Survey data are of moderate credibility for Montana and does not indicate a significant trend over time. Within the Prairie Pothole Region, the data are of high credibility and indicate a significant decline since the 1970s.
Threats
ScoreG - Slightly threatened. Threats, while recognizable, are of low severity, or affecting only a small portion of the population or area.
CommentConversion of native habitat to agriculture is the primary threat to this species
SeverityLow - Low but nontrivial reduction of species population or reversible degradation or reduction of habitat in area affected, with recovery expected in 10-50 years.
CommentAlthough true short grass prairie may take decades to recover, with proper mitigation recovery of altered landscapes would certainly become suitable within 50 years.
ScopeLow - 5-20% of total population or area affected
CommentGiven current commodity prices very little native habitat is being converted to agriculture.
ImmediacyHigh - Threat is operational (happening now) or imminent (within a year).
Commentthreat is ongoing
Intrinsic Vulnerability
ScoreC - Not Intrinsically Vulnerable. Species matures quickly, reproduces frequently, and/or has high fecundity such that populations recover quickly (< 5 years or 2 generations) from decreases in abundance; or species has high dispersal capability such that extirpated populations soon become reestablished through natural recolonization (unaided by humans).
CommentSpecies has moderate to high fecundity and the ability to disperse between areas of suitable habitat.
Environmental Specificity
ScoreB - Narrow. Specialist. Specific habitat(s) or other abiotic and/or biotic factors (see above) are used or required by the Element, but these key requirements are common and within the generalized range of the species within the area of interest.
CommentSpecies is associated with natural and manmade wetlands in grasslands with low cover
Raw Conservation Status Score
Score
3.5 + 0 (geographic distribution) + 0 (environmental specificity) + -0.25 (short-term trend) + 0.75 (threats) = 4