Priorities for Future Research

Many unanswered questions are evident in the text. Based on the annual cycle, we highlight here selected topics needing attention.

Breeding: impacts of climate change on nesting habitats, the role of replacement laying in population dynamics, growth and development of young birds, habitat requirements of foraging broods, energetics of reproduction, and additional field exploration to more accurately define the boundaries of each species’ nesting range.

Migration: improved knowledge of stopover areas and delimitation of particularly important regions, human impacts along transcontinental flyways (factors such as loss of habitat, exposure to agrochemicals, erection of wind farms, and hunting), habitat and energy requirements en route, speed of transoceanic passages and maximum flight ranges, movements on lesser-known migratory routes (especially trans-amazonian, trans-asian, Pacific coasts of the Americas, and s. and sw. Pacific), and extent of Pacific Golden-Plover travel southward along Pacific coast (perhaps this is the primary species in Chile).

Wintering: banding studies of American Golden-Plovers on wintering grounds to explore site fidelity and other features of behavior during the non-breeding season, similar studies of Pacific Golden-Plovers on Southern Hemisphere wintering grounds, and evaluation/monitoring of conditions on winter ranges of both species as related to ever expanding human activities (agriculture, reclamation, urbanization, pollution).

Given the vast ranges of these plovers, it is extremely difficult to make accurate population estimates. Nonetheless, both species are in urgent need of systematic monitoring wherever possible so that population trends and potential problems can be detected (see Byrkjedal and Thompson 1998, Johnson 2003, Clay et al. 2009).