Regional-scale responses of shorebird numbers to benthic food resources in the Dutch Wadden Sea: contrasts between six species

A decade-long study of the Dutch Wadden Sea reveals that changes in shorebird populations are not primarily driven by fluctuations in benthic food resources. While oystercatcher and curlew numbers declined, dunlin and grey plover populations increased, with red knot numbers fluctuating and bar-tailed godwit numbers remaining stable. The research combined comprehensive shorebird counts with annual benthic resource surveys from 2008 to 2023, finding that no single prey species could sustain most shorebird populations, which instead relied on multiple prey types. Only the red knot's population correlated with its preferred prey biomass, suggesting food resources are not the main driver of population changes for other species. This challenges the assumption that food availability is a primary regulator of shorebird numbers in this UNESCO-listed intertidal ecosystem.

Bom, R. A., Piersma, T., Ens, B. J., Kleefstra, R., & Bijleveld, A. I. (2026). Regional-scale responses of shorebird numbers to benthic food resources in the Dutch Wadden Sea: contrasts between six species. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 342, 110172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2026.110172