Over-summering of Calidris canutus rufa (Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae) in La Picasa Lake, Santa Fe, Argentina

Abstract

Calidris canutus rufa is a shorebird that has its breeding area in the Canadian Arctic, and has suffered a drastic decline since the beginning of this millennium, with a decreasing trend in its population. In the austral summer it migrates to southern South America where it has one of the main non-reproductive rest area, in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. It is known that the species over summering on the coasts of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, without reports for the inland of the country. From the sighting of Calidris canutus rufa in La Picasa Lake, in the south of the province of Santa Fe, weekly samplings were carried out to record its presence during the southern winter in this wetland. Records of the species were obtained between July and September 2021 on the west coast of the lake. These were individuals with basic plumage, with ashy-gray coloration on the back and ventral white, barred flanks and greenish legs. Presented here is the first record of Calidris canutus rufa over summering in La Picasa Lake, inland wetland of Argentina, in the southern winter 2021.