Global review of shorebird tracking data to identify research gaps and conservation priorities

Tracking has enabled rapid advances in knowledge of the movement behavior and habitat use of shorebirds and is thus making a growing contribution to their conservation. However, realizing the full potential that tracking holds for conservation involves understanding what has been performed on shorebirds to date and identifying regional and taxonomic knowledge gaps. To this end, we reviewed the literature on 195 species across 10 shorebird families. We determined the number of shorebird tracking studies published over time, types of tracking devices used, reporting rates for data archiving in online repositories, and coverage of the major flyways by the data collected. Using Movebank, we further identified tracked species that have not appeared in the literature. We included 351 peer-reviewed publications in the review. Tracking data were lacking for 50% of the species reviewed. Considerably more tracking studies were conducted in temperate regions and in flyways that include wealthy countries than in the tropics. Of the 351 publications, 26.9% reported data were archived in an online repository, although the annual rate increased over time. We identified 16 species whose conservation needs and a lack of data make them relevant priorities for future tracking. Improving data archiving practices and coordination around tag deployment to cover understudied regions is key to maximizing the utility of tracking for shorebird research and conservation.