Abstract
The Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) is a species in decline, classified as near threatened (NT) worldwide, and vulnerable (VU) in Norway. In Akershus county, southeastern Norway, the population of breeding Eurasian Curlews was estimated at 50-60 pairs in 1982. No recent update exists of this population size estimate. In this study, we assessed the population size in 2017 in Akershus, and examined how the population size changed between 1971 and 2017 by using historical observation records of Eurasian Curlews. We estimated that there were 30 territories in Akershus in 2017 and found that the population declined by 47% since 1995 and 77% since 1971. In the period 1995-2017, the yearly rate of decline was 2.8%. We discuss possible reasons for the decline, such as intensive agricultural practices, high nest predation rates, and large-scale threats on the wintering grounds.
Highlights
Many wader species undergo a general decline (MacDonald & Bolton 2008, Roodbergen et al 2012, Bell & Calladine 2017)
The decline of Curlews has been suggested to result from a poor breeding success caused by habitat fragmentation, changes in land-use, destruction by farming practices and predation (Berg 1992a, b, Grant et al 1999, Valkama & Currie 1999)
By feeding on young and eggs, predators such as foxes and crows represent the greatest cause of breeding failure for waders (MacDonald & Bolton 2008)
Summary
Many wader species undergo a general decline (MacDonald & Bolton 2008, Roodbergen et al 2012, Bell & Calladine 2017). The decline of Curlews has been suggested to result from a poor breeding success caused by habitat fragmentation, changes in land-use, destruction by farming practices and predation (Berg 1992a, b, Grant et al 1999, Valkama & Currie 1999). By feeding on young and eggs, predators such as foxes and crows represent the greatest cause of breeding failure for waders (MacDonald & Bolton 2008). In Norway, the national Norwegian red list of species categorized Curlews as vulnerable (VU) in 2015 (Kålås et al 2015). Their population declined by 43% in the last 17 years which represents a decline of 4.4% per year (Kålås et al 2014), and population size may have halved in 34 years (Shimmings & Øien 2015). Dale and Hardeng (2016) showed that the populations of breeding Curlews on bogs in Akershus tended to decline
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