Lesser Yellowlegs watches over chicks

Lesser Yellowlegs adult male, “A73”, watches for predators as he follows his recently hatched chicks through the boreal landscape of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. In addition to leg bands, “A73” received a GPS tracking device (see antenna at back of the bird), which allows ornithologists to track his migration and to help inform the spatiotemporal migratory patterns of Lesser Yellowlegs between subarctic breeding areas in Alaska and Canada and wintering areas in South America, the Caribbean, Central America, and the contiguous United States. Since the 1970s, this species has declined by ~63%, and by understanding annual movements conservation planning can be directed to address potential threats to the Lesser Yellowlegs.