Buff-breasted Sandpiper’s journey along the Americas Flyway
The role of Key Biodiversity Areas for the Buff-breasted Sandpiper across the Americas.
Header Image: Buff-breasted Sandpiper © Brendan Fogarty.
Birds use flyways – superhighways in the sky – as important migration routes as they travel between breeding grounds, feeding areas and seasonal refuges. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper is a remarkable long-distance migrant that travels along the Americas Flyway through North American grasslands to winter in the warmth of the South American pampas.
It has an estimated global population of approximately 550,000 individuals and thrives in ecosystems like dry grasslands, prairies, and agricultural fields. Listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Buff-breasted Sandpiper faces various threats like habitat conversion and historical hunting.
Their journey begins in the Arctic tundra, where these birds breed sporadically from central Alaska to Devon Island, Canada. Unusual among shorebird species is their lek mating system, where males gather in display areas to attract females. Following the breeding season, they make a circular migration through the North American Great Plains to their primary wintering grounds in the South American pampas of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. On their northbound journey, they cross the Llanos de la Orinoquia (Colombia-Venezuela), a seasonally dry savanna region that offers ideal feeding conditions.
Vital stopovers and wintering grounds
Along the species’ southbound journey, various Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), important sites for biodiversity worldwide, provide essential “fuelling stations” and refuges for this long-distance traveller. Here are some of these key sites:
This is the most important KBA for the Buff-breasted Sandpiper in Bolivia: more than 40% of the global population uses this site and the surrounding Beni savanna grasslands during southbound migration. The species forages primarily in river edge shortgrass maintained by livestock grazing and on short-grass sandbanks along the Mamoré and Madre de Dios rivers, while avoiding tallgrass savannas and forest islands. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper relies exclusively on the Beni Savanna ecosystem during southbound migration when the grasslands are dry and suitable; during northbound migration the Beni grasslands are inundated and provide little to no foraging habitat.
Estuário da Laguna dos Patos (Brazil)
Located at the southernmost edge of the Patos Lagoon, this area, specifically Torotama Island, regularly hosts the largest concentration of the species in Brazil. Despite its importance, this site faces threats such as urban expansion and flooding.
A confirmed KBA of global priority, this brackish lagoon forms part of the coastal lagoon system that extends along southeastern Brazil and eastern Uruguay. This site is an important wintering ground for the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, one of its qualifying species. This site is also a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) and Ramsar site.
Bahía de Samborombón y Punta Rasa (Argentina)
This KBA is a major stopover and wintering site where large numbers of migratory shorebirds concentrate during the austral summer. This site preserves some of the last remaining patches of Pampas grassland and has been qualified as a KBA for the presence of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, among other bird species. This site is also a WHSRN and Ramsar site.
Returning to the north
As the Buff-breasted Sandpiper heads back north, between February and April, other significant sites along the Llanos de la Orinoquia serve as final, high-stakes staging grounds:
Reservas de la Vereda Altagracia (Colombia)
This KBA supports more than 1% of the global population of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper during its spring migration. This species relies on “benches”—the high ground that remains dry during the transition into the rainy season.
Puerto Rico y La Polonia Natural Reserve (Colombia)
This private reserve protects natural savannas and wetlands. Its traditional livestock management is highly consistent with conservation, providing the grazed grassland structure that the Buff-breasted Sandpiper require.
Conservation in action for the Buff-breasted Sandpiper
One of the key focus areas for the Americas Flyways conservation strategy is grasslands. These landscapes span across the Americas, including the Pampas of the Southern Cone, the Beni Savanna in Bolivia, the Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela, the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico and the USA, and the Great Plains of the USA and Canada. These regions provide vital breeding, migration, and wintering habitats for numerous migratory bird species, including the Buff-breasted Sandpiper.
To ensure the ongoing health of these grasslands in the Southern Cone, a regional initiative called Alianza del Pastizal (Grasslands Alliance) was established in 2006. This initiative, created by BirdLife International, is implemented by our Partners Aves Argentinas, SAVE Brasil, Guyra Paraguay, and Aves Uruguay, all working together to conserve these vast landscapes. Bringing together producers, conservationists, researchers, and government actors, the Alianza del Pastizal presents grassland-based livestock systems as a conservation tool to restore the habitat for grassland birds and other key biodiversity. To date, the nature-friendly livestock management system established by Alianza del Pastizal now covers over 1 million hectares and involves hundreds of landowners in the four countries.
Another initiative, focused on the Beni Savanna’s conservation, is the Beni Eco-Friendly Ranching Alliance. Founded by Asociación Armonía, our Partner in Bolivia, together with the Beni Cattle Ranchers’ Federation, the Beni Eco-Friendly Ranching Alliance brings together ranchers committed to producing beef through sustainable grazing practices. Working closely with its members, Armonía supports the transition from conventional cattle ranching to shorebird-friendly management that maintains high-quality grassland habitat while improving the sustainability and productivity of ranching operations.
On the same line, Asociación Armonía established the Barba Azul Nature Reserve in 2008, a 12,200-hectare reserve that is now Bolivia’s only Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Site of Regional Importance, designated because of the large numbers of Buff-breasted Sandpiper that migrate through the area each year. To ensure the reserve’s long-term financial sustainability, Armonía manages a herd of approximately 1,200 cattle. Livestock grazing is a key management tool: carefully managed grazing maintains grass heights between 4 and 6 cm at river-edge shortgrass sites, creating the optimal foraging habitat for Buff-breasted Sandpipers.
The migration of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper is a story of connection. It shows how a cross-continental voyage unites nature and cultures alike. Protecting the KBA networks that connect the continent is key to ensuring the persistence of bird species and preserving the rich grassland biomes of the Americas and the people and cultures that thrive within them.
