North Sumatra is an internationally significant region for non-breeding Nordmann’s Greenshanks Tringa guttifer

The Endangered Nordmann’s Greenshank Tringa guttifer is one of the most threatened shorebird species in the world. It migrates from eastern Russia to its non-breeding grounds in Southeast Asia, but the distribution of key wintering sites of the species remains poorly known. Here we summarise historical records and recent surveys (2018–2020) of Nordmann’s Greenshanks in Indonesia. Our results indicate that the eastern coast of Sumatra, especially North Sumatra Province, is an important wintering area for the species and potentially supports 12–14% of its global population as estimated in 2018. Hunting and coastal development occur in this area, further threatening the Nordmann’s Greenshank. We recommend the protection of key wintering sites in North Sumatra to safeguard long-term population viability. Furthermore, continued monitoring effort in key sites is needed in addition to exploratory surveys at prospective sites in Riau or Indonesian Borneo, where the species’ current status is unknown.