The descriptive text, below the map, is from the Cornish Red Data Book (2009). The map on this web page depicts the organisms distribution and shows the records made pre-2000 and those made since.
Range & Status
Holarctic; in Britain and Ireland 20,700 in winter.
Regional Distribution
Cornwall: winter visitor and passage migrant in small numbers at scattered coastal sites, only Mounts Bay (up to 100) is of significance but even here numbers have been declining in recent winters. Isles of Scilly: up to 400 in winter, chiefly on St. Mary' s and the interisland sand-flats (this population is of National Importance).
Habitat & Ecology
Occurs on sandy beaches, feeding in closely-packed parties.
Threats
The decline of Cornwall wintering population suggests a shift in winter sites, reasons unclear.
Conservation
Listed (long list) as a globally threatened/declining species (BSGR, 1995).
I.J. Bennallick, S. Board, C.N. French, P.A. Gainey, C. Neil, R. Parslow, A. Spalding and P.E. Tompsett. eds. 2009. Red Data Book for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 2nd Edition.Croceago Press.
The Cornish Red Data Book Project was led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Federation for Biological Recorders (CISFBR). The full text and species accounts (minus the maps) are available on the CISFBR website.