France grants protected status to three shorebirds in the Antilles

The French government has placed three migratory shorebirds under full legal protection in four overseas territories, while simultaneously striking them from the lists of species that may be hunted. The order, signed on 12 August 2026 by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature, was published in the Journal officiel de la République française (JORF n°196 of 23 August 2026) under reference TECL2619336A.

The measure adds the Hudsonian curlew (Numenius hudsonicus), the Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica) and the lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) to the protected-bird lists applying in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Martin and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. In the same stroke, the order deletes several scolopacid species from the regional game lists, ending their status as huntable game.

Three species added to the protected lists

The order amends the protection arrangements for each territory by inserting the three species into the Scolopacidae (Charadriiformes) section of the relevant lists:

• Hudsonian curlew (Numenius hudsonicus), known locally as “bec crochu”;
• Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica), known as “barge” or “zinga”;
• Lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), known as “pattes jaunes”.

For Martinique, the additions are made to the order of 17 February 1989 establishing protection measures for birds in the department. For Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, they are inserted into the orders of 7 March 2025 fixing the lists of protected birds across the national territory. In Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the Hudsonian godwit is not among the additions, only the curlew and the lesser yellowlegs.

Removal from the huntable game lists

The same order withdraws several scolopacid species from the game lists on which hunting was previously authorised, in Guadeloupe and Martinique. The deletions concern:

• the whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), known as “courlis corlieu” or “bèk kochi”;
• the lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), known as “petit chevalier à pattes jaunes”;
• the Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica), known as “barge hudsonienne”.

These removals amend the order of 27 June 1985 and the orders of 17 February 1989 fixing the species whose hunting is authorised in the two departments. The effect is to align the hunting regime with the new protection status, so that the species can no longer be legally taken.

Implementation and scope

The order is executed by the Directorate General for Planning, Housing and Nature and the Directorate General for the Economic and Environmental Performance of Enterprises, each within its remit. It entered into force upon publication in the Journal officiel on 23 August 2026.

The measure reflects a broader effort to reinforce biodiversity protection in France’s overseas collectivities, where migratory waders face pressure from hunting and habitat loss. By granting these shorebirds full protection and removing them from the game lists, the authorities close a legal gap that had allowed the species to be hunted in some territories while being protected in others.

For residents and hunters in the Antilles and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the practical consequence is immediate: the three species can no longer be hunted, and their capture, transport or possession is now prohibited under the same regime as other protected birds. The decision also strengthens France’s commitments to the conservation of migratory shorebirds along the Atlantic flyway.

Source: Journal officiel de la République française, n°196 of 23 August 2026, section I (official reference: NOR TECL2619336A).