Atlas presenting the results of aerial surveys undertaken to determine the principal wintering areas used by nearctic shorebirds on the coast of South America. The surveys, carried out in January/February from 1982-1986, covered 28,000 km of the South American coastline and included nearly all parts of the coast thought to contain significant habitat for shorebirds. Volume 1 contains an introduction, methods, an overview summarising the distribution of shorebirds on the coast on a continental level, discusses the shorebird distribution in relation to geomorphology and environmental conditions and reviews the need for international cooperation in the conservation of shorebirds, citing the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network as an example of a major conservation initiative that has arisen from internationally coordinated distributional studies. Volume 2 gives detailed information on shorebird distribution country by country. Data for each survey sector are summarized by size category on the maps.

Presents results of aerial surveys undertaken to determine the principal areas used by nearctic shorebirds and other species of water birds on wintering grounds on the coast of Panama. Additional information is presented on numbers and distributions of these groups of birds on the coast of the Gulf of Panama during migration periods. Surveys of wintering populations were carried out in January 1993, while surveys of populations present during southward and northward migration periods were conducted in October 1991 and February 1988 respectively. Information is also included on aerial survey methodology; the geography, physical oceanography, and climate of Panama; and coastal habitats and their distribution in Panama.

Presents estimates of population sizes of 53 species of Nearctic shorebirds occurring regularly in North America, plus four species that breed occasionally. The estimates are given for various regions of the continent and include references to the literature as well as discussion of relevant matters such as population trends. Information on estimation methods & their accuracy is also included.

This book is the outcome of a major international conference on waterbirds held in Edinburgh in April 2004.