Willet – State Wildlife Action Plan

The Willet (Tringa semipalmata) is a large, gray to brownish-gray sandpiper with white lower base of tail and distinctive black-and-white wing stripe pattern. Sexes are similar. Taxonomic split; western population recognized as T. s. inornata (genetic divergence c. 700,000 years ago). Winters on the coast from Mexico to Chile and remain largely separate from the eastern subspecies – with some overlap.

Overview

Species Common Name Willet
Species Scientific Name Tringa semipalmata inornata
State Listing Status Sensitive (pending)

Ecoregions

Blue Mountains

Located in NE Oregon, the Blue Mountains ecoregion is the largest ecoregion in the state. It provides a diverse complex of mountain ranges, valleys, and plateaus that extend beyond Oregon into the states of Idaho and Washington.

East Cascades

The East Cascade ecoregion extends from the Cascade Mountains' summit east to the warmer, drier high desert and down the length of the state. This ecoregion varies dramatically from its cool, moist border with the West Cascades ecoregion to its dry eastern border, where it meets sagebrush desert landscapes.

Northern Basin and Range

The Northern Basin and Range ecoregion covers the very large southeastern portion of the state, from Burns south to the Nevada border and from the Christmas Valley east to Idaho. It is largely a high elevation desert-like area dominated by sagebrush communities and habitats.

Special needs

Willets nest in short, sparse, cover along wet meadows, marshes, and wetlands. They use elevated perches including exposed rocks, fence posts, and shrubs.

Limiting factors

Willets are experiencing global declines attributed in part to habitat loss in breeding areas. In Oregon, potential threats include the effects of agriculture and invasive plants on breeding habitat, as well as the loss of wet meadows and grasslands. Grazing, altered water levels from water management and drought, and habitat degradation at coastal sites during wintering and migration further impact the species. The western subspecies, which occurs in Oregon and winters in Chile, is in more significant decline than the eastern population. Powerlines near breeding areas also pose a threat.

Data gaps

•Updated population estimate needed (collaboration with wintering and stopover area surveys).
•Determine nest site locations.
• Determine whether breeding habitat is a limiting factor for the species.
•Assess threats on wintering grounds and migratory connectivity.
• Develop partnerships with biologists and communities in migratory pathways and wintering habitats to facilitate full life-cycle conservation

Conservation actions

• Develop current population estimates.
• Map key breeding areas.
•Protect and manage habitat.
•Exclude disturbance from ATVs.
•Conduct conservation assessment to guide conservation actions.

Key reference or plan

Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Read here

The North American Waterbird Conservation Plan. 2002. Read here