Global Partnership Powers Breakthrough Shorebird Study
February 19, 2026
In a first-of-its-kind study, the Migratory Shorebird Project shared trends for 22 Pacific Flyway shorebird species over the past decade. Ten of the 22 species analyzed showed declining populations, two showed positive trends, and the rest did not have significant enough results to draw a conclusion. Before now we did not have this information. This is a huge accomplishment and milestone for migratory bird conservation and highlights the power of partnership at scale.
Connected Conservation Across 4,000 miles
The Pacific Flyway stretches roughly 4,000 miles long and 1,000 miles wide from Alaska to Chile and is one of just a handful of global migration highways for birds, with over 8 million shorebirds using it annually. Having this new information is critical for effective flyway conservation. The study brought concerning news, but it’s not surprising given what we’ve learned from other comprehensive reports like the 2019 3 Billion Birds Report, the 2025 San Francisco Bay State of the Birds Report, Atlantic Flyway studies, and research about habitat loss over the past 150 years.
The positive story from this groundbreaking study is the power of partnership. Migratory wildlife science is hard. The animals move over long distances that often span hemispheres. For example, according to an All About Birds article, the Semipalmated Sandpiper, which weighs less than an apple, makes nonstop flights of over 3,000 miles from Canada to South America, the aerial equivalent of completing 126 consecutive marathons. In order to track these mind-bending athletes over their entire lifecycles, identify trends, and then implement appropriate conservation action, it takes a global village of coordinated conservationists. The Migratory Shorebird Project has achieved this over the past 15 years since its inception in 2011. The network consists of 50+ partner organizations across 13 countries. It is connected through a shared mission: conserving shorebirds and wetlands and connecting communities across the Americas.
Ingredients for Success
Partners in the Migratory Shorebird Project have built meaningful relationships across borders, languages, and organizations, as well as developed shared protocols and a central database–all the ingredients of successful conservation at scale. Another successful aspect of the partnership is that it looks at conservation needs at the local, national, and international scale. This is the type of conservation we need in the face of climate change and continuing policy and behavioral challenges. An aspect of note in addition to the strength of the network is that it has largely been led by early career women scientists from Latin American countries. This signals a welcome change and rebalancing of gender leadership in conservation across the Pacific Flyway.
Challenge Ahead, But We’re Ready
The partnership looks forward to building on this critical study and invites more participation from the scientific community to use the rich dataset to drill down to even more specific and actional results. Data from the Migratory Shorebird Project have already been used to identify important shorebird areas in several countries like, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, and other countries through the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, which helps bring needed funding, capacity, and attention to those areas. The results of the new study are concrete proof that we need to keep funding and growing programs like BirdReturns in North America and MSP+ Science to Action in Latin America. The conservation issues are complex, but with a diverse and passionate network fueled by solid science, the future is hopeful.
