An Overview of the Status of Grey-tailed Tattler Bio Palembanica 2.
: 95-101 .
This journal is available online at: https://ejournal.
An Overview of the Status of Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes (Charadriiformes: Scolopacida.
in Sumatra.
Indonesia IMAM TAUFIQURRAHMAN1*.
HASRI ABDILLAH2.
DENI MULYANA3,
ISMAEL SAUMANUK4 & ARIF SETIAWAN1
Yayasan SwaraOwa.
Kalipentung Subvillage.
Kalitirto Village.
Berbah District.
Sleman Regency.
Yogyakarta Province.
Indonesia.
*Corresponding author.
E-mail: ornyman18@gmail.
https://orcid.
org/0009-0001-9586-8827 E-mail: wawan5361@gmail.
https://orcid.
org/0000-0002-6090-906X North Sumatra Birdwatcher.
Medan 20126.
North Sumatra Province.
Indonesia.
E-mail: hasriabdi@gmail.
https://orcid.
org/0000-0001-8890-7325 Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam DKI Jakarta.
Jakarta 10440.
Indonesia E-mail: sumedang1983@gmail.
Puro 2.
Muntei Village.
Siberut Selatan District.
Kepulauan Mentawai Regency.
West Sumatra Province.
Indonesia E-mail: men4wai@gmail.
Received 15 August 2025iCAccepted by M.
Iqbal: 19 October 2025iCPublished online 27 December 2025.
Abstract The Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes is a migratory shorebird species that migrates to the southern hemisphere, including Indonesia.
In Sumatra, the species was previously considered a vagrant, but new records suggest it may be an uncommon visitor.
A study compiled 26 sightings of Tringa brevipes in Sumatra from 1999 to 2024, with most records coming from the east coast of the island.
The species was found in small numbers, with the largest flock consisting of 20 individuals.
Based on these records, it is recommend reclassifying the species' status to "uncommon visitor" rather than "vagrant.
" Further research is needed to understand the species' migration patterns and habitat use in Sumatra.
Keywords: migratory, shorebird, status.
Sumatra.
Tringa brevipes.
Introduction The Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes is a migratory shorebird species that travels along the East Asian Australasian Flyway (Hayman et al.
Its breeding grounds are located in north-central and northeast Siberia, from where it migrates to the southern hemisphere, reaching countries in Asia.
Australia, and the Pacific Islands (Message & Taylor 2005.
BirdLife International 2.
This species has a wide distribution across Indonesia, with records from various regions, including the Greater Sundas (Atlas Burung Indonesia 2020.
Taufiqurrahman et al.
Its presence in Indonesia is part of its larger migratory route (Bamford et al.
On the status review of shorebirds in Sumatra.
Iqbal et al.
classified T.
brevipes as vagrant, based on two sightings of the species in Siberut Island.
Mentawai Islands, that constitute the first for Sumatra (Kemp 2000.
Grantham & Kemp 2.
Further observations reveal three new sightings: one from Belitung Island (Iqbal et al.
and twice in Pantai Panjang.
Bengkulu, represent SumatraAos mainland (Rahmansyah & Iqbal 2.
Mugan et al.
add sightings from Pantai Jono.
North Sumatra on 24-25 March 2017, and verified the species rarity, as the only six records compiled show a very small number of sightings compared to the numerous efforts made in various shorebird surveys in Sumatra.
Here in this paper, we add information on the speciesAo occurrence from various locations in Sumatra.
Our records collated from separate observations and show the overlooked evidence of the speciesAo occurrence on the island.
We compiled all records of T.
brevipes in Sumatra, discuss the possibility that cause the overlooked and recommend its new status for the island.
TAUFIQURRAHMAN ET AL.
Methods Observations made separately during 2011-2024 in eight locations: five in North Sumatra, two in South Sumatra and one in west Sumatran islands.
Observations made using binoculars and, if possible, the occurrence of the species being documented using camera.
Abbreviations on the observations refer to the authors as follow .
: AS (Arif Setiawa.
DM (Deni Mulyan.
HA (Hasri Abdilla.
IS (Ismael Saumanu.
& IT (Imam Taufiqurrahma.
To ensure a more comprehensive dataset, we also drew from published information and citizen science platforms like eBird and iNaturalist .
Bird 2025.
iNaturalist 2.
To determine the speciesAo status, we follow Henry .
, with categorization as follows:
A Common: found in moderate to large numbers, and easily found in appropriate habitat at right time of year.
A Fairly Common: found in small to moderate numbers, and usually easy to find in appropriate habitat at the right time of year.
A Uncommon: found in small numbers, and usually, but not always found with some effort in appropriate habitat at the right time of year.
A Rare: occurs annually in very small numbers.
Not expected on any given day, but may be found with extended effort over the course of the appropriate season.
A Accidental: represents an exceptional occurrence that might not be repeated again for decades.
Results and Discussion As result, there are a total 15 sighting records made in 13 years of our observations during 2011-2024.
Summarized observations presented in Table 1.
North Sumatra During 2011-2024.
HA observed T.
brevipes up to seven times from six areas: five are from Deli Serdang district, one from Batubara district and one from Pantai Jono .
ometimes also called Pantai Sujono or Pantai Perjuanga.
The first was two birds in a fishpond of Tanjung Rejo village.
Deli Serdang, 7 February 2011.
This reveals the first occurrence of T.
brevipes, both for North Sumatra and mainland, earlier than the previous report of a single bird in Pantai Panjang.
Bengkulu on 9 October 2014 by Rahmansyah & Iqbal .
However, no photographs were taken during the sighting.
Later on 12 November 2011, a single bird was observed from the same area.
Figure 1.
One of two Grey-tailed Tattlers Tringa brevipes spotted in Deli Serdang.
North Sumatra, alongside a small group of Sand Plovers on 21 October 2017 (Photograph: Hasri Abdilla.
An Overview of the Status of Grey-tailed Tattler On 2 December 2011.
HA observed two birds in a mudflat of Percut village and up to four birds on 17 January 2012 in Sei Tuan village.
On 21 October 2017, two birds observed in a group of sand plover species Charadrius sp on Beting Camar coast.
Karang Gading.
Langkat Timur Laut (Fig.
The highest number observed was five birds in the coast of Durian village.
Batubara district, 14 March 2018.
This area is characterized with a white sand beach, mudflats, ponds and mangroves (Abdillah et al.
The most recent sighting was from Pantai Jono, where five T.
brevipes observed on 19 November The area is the same location as Mugan et al.
recorded the species.
Table 1.
Records of Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes in Sumatra during 1999-2024.
Notes: refer to authors.
AS (Arif Setiawa.
DM (Deni Mulyan.
HA (Hasri Abdilla.
IS (Ismael Saumanu.
& IT (Imam Taufiqurrahma.
DATE
LOCATION
NO OF BIRD(S)
SOURCE/OBSERVER(S)
1 Apr 1999 Siberut Island.
West Sumatra Kemp .
8 & 10 Jan 2000 Siberut Island.
West Sumatra Kemp .
7 Feb 2011 Deli Serdang.
North Sumatra HA pers.
12 Nov 2011 Deli Serdang.
North Sumatra HA pers.
2 Dec 2011 Percut.
North Sumatra HA pers.
7 Jan 2012 Enggano Island.
Bengkulu iNaturalist 2025 17 Jan 2012 Sei Tuan.
North Sumatra HA pers.
21 Feb 2014 Bayan Beach.
Belitung Island Iqbal et al.
9 Oct 2014 Gading Cempaka.
Bengkulu city Rahmansyah & Iqbal .
6 Nov 2014 Gading Cempaka.
Bengkulu city Rahmansyah & Iqbal .
24-25 Mar 2017 Pantai Jono.
North Sumatra Mugan et al.
25 Aug 2017 Siberut Island.
West Sumatra IS pers.
23 Sept 2017 Siberut Island.
West Sumatra IT & AS pers.
21 Oct 2017 Deli Serdang.
North Sumatra HA pers.
28 Feb 2018 Siberut Island.
West Sumatra IS pers.
16 May 2018 Siberut Island.
West Sumatra IS pers.
16 Nov 2018 Batu Buruk.
South Sumatra DM pers.
15 Dec 2018 Siberut Island.
West Sumatra IS pers.
14 Mar 2018 Batubara District.
North Sumatra HA pers.
13 Apr 2019 Siberut Island.
West Sumatra IT & AS pers.
26 Oct 2019 Kuala Pawon.
Aceh Putra et al.
26 Oct 2019 Jangka village.
Aceh Putra et al.
22 Dec 2019 Barong Besar.
South Sumatra Mulyani & Iqbal .
2 Mar 2020 Enggano Island.
Bengkulu Iqbal et al.
16 & 25 Nov 2020 Barong Besar.
South Sumatra Pantai Jono.
North Sumatra Iqbal et al.
HA pers.
19 Nov 2024 Siberut Island.
West Sumatra Six sightings of T.
our by IS and two by IT & AS) recorded during 2017-2019 from an intertidal area on Muara Siberut, east coast of Siberut Island.
The records are located from the same area as it was first reported by Grantham & Kemp .
Only a small number observed in all sightings, with the highest was three birds joined in flock with a Common Redshank Tringa totanus on 15 December 2018 (Fig.
TAUFIQURRAHMAN ET AL.
Figure 2.
Three Grey-tailed Tattlers Tringa brevipes with a Common Redshank Tringa totanus observed in Muara Siberut.
Mentawai Is.
Sumatra, 15 December 2018 (Photograph: Ismael Saumanu.
South Sumatra Four birds observed by DM during migratory bird monitoring in Berbak Sembilang NP, 16 November 2018, with two of the birds and a single Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres photographed (Fig.
The birds are found at Batu Buruk, a sandy beach containing small rocks, close to Sembilang estuary.
This constitutes the first record of the species in the park.
The second sighting is from a single bird recorded in Sungai Barong Besar, 22 December 2019 (Mulyani & Iqbal 2.
Figure 3.
Two of four Grey-tailed Tattlers Tringa brevipes with a Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres observed in Batu Buruk.
Banyuasin Peninsular.
South Sumatra,16 November 2018 (Photograph: Deni Mulyan.
An Overview of the Status of Grey-tailed Tattler Our records, combined with previously published data, bring the total number of T.
brevipes sightings in Sumatra to 26 over a 25-year period .
(Fig.
Table .
These sightings are distributed across 15 locations, with the majority reported from the mainland, particularly along the east coast from Aceh to South Sumatra.
Notably, two locations in North Sumatra.
Sei Tuan and Percut, were frequently visited by observers (Crossland et al.
Putra et al.
Putra et al.
without any recorded sightings of the speciesAiuntil HA documented it three times in 2011, with two of those sightings in Tanjung Rejo The timing of these records coincides with the species' northward and southward migrations (Howes et al.
, suggesting that the area provides a suitable habitat for T.
Figure 4.
Map showing all records of Grey-tailed Tattler T.
brevipes in Sumatra 1999-2024 The Grey-tailed Tattler T.
brevipes has more frequently been recorded in West Sumatran satellitte islands, with up to six times being recorded in Siberut I.
within only less than two years (August 2017April 2.
In Enggano I.
, the species recorded for twice.
Prior the observation in Ular I.
by Iqbal et al.
, four birds photographed in Kahyapu by Rendra R.
Rais on 7 January 2012, stored in iNaturalist .
and represent the first for the island.
All of these records strongly indicates that the species is a regular visitor to the area, both during northward and southward migration.
The paucity record in Siberut for almost two decades after the species first observed (Kemp 2000.
Grantham & Kemp 2.
might have resulted from the rare visit to the area by any observers, specifically to monitor the shorebirds.
The overlooked and scarcity record of T.
brevipes in Sumatra might also be reflected by the nonstop flight movement and route preferences by the species during its migration.
Sumatra lie in the western-most of Indonesia, and the species tend to prefer the eastern part of the flyway rather than the west part, as revealed from the movement of three T.
brevipes fitted with geolocator in eastern Indonesia (Coleman et al.
The study reveals during northward migration, two individuals took a five days non-stop flight from South-east Queensland to Japan, while one individual took an additional staging site in Northern Philippines before Japan to finally reach their breeding ground in East Russia.
While during southward migration, the individuals took an even more eastern route, using the mid-Pacific island of Guam and Papua New Guinea before reaching South-east Queensland.
Furthermore, the estimated number of T.
brevipes visiting Indonesia is generally low.
Bamford et .
reported the maximum count of the species in Indonesia is 334 birds, with a total of estimation 1,000 birds occur in the region.
Recent estimation with spatial extrapolations resulted a little less, with TAUFIQURRAHMAN ET AL.
902 birds occur (Hansen et al.
The number is only about 1,3% of the estimated population of the world, which is 70,000 birds.
Of this, only a small number of birds visited Sumatra, with 20 individuals recently observed in Ular I.
Enggano I.
Bengkulu on 2 March 2020 as the largest (Iqbal et al.
Based on all the records, we recommend T.
brevipes as an uncommon visitor in Sumatra, rather than vagrant as suggested by Iqbal et al.
or very rare migrant (Mugan et al.
, although it is only present in small numbers.
More detail and careful observations in various suitable areas is needed to reveal more of its occurrence on the island.
The west coast of Sumatra is largely unknown and demanded as a priority for shorebird survey (Janra et al.
Iqbal et al.
Iqbal et al.
, thus any effort made along the area might reveal new sighting locations for the species.
Regular visits to a well-known area for shorebirds along the east coast and visits to small islands in any part of Sumatra might also result in a valuable record.
Acknowledgments We are grateful for the support from Yayasan SwaraOwa, funded by Wildlife Reserve Singapore .
ppreciated by IT.
IS, and AS).
We thank Chairunas Adha Putra for sharing information on the species in Sumatra and Panji Gusti Akbar.
Ahmad AuMemedAy Yanuar, and Hary Susanto for the map.
HA thanks the Nagao Natural Environment Foundation for funding the Batubara District survey, conducted with Seksi Konservasi Wilayah II Stabat and BKSDA Sumatera Utara.
DM acknowledges Sembilang National Park for its support.
We appreciate Muhammad Iqbal (Bio Palembanic.
and the anonymous reviewer for their valuable feedback.
References