The Canadian population of Chestnut-collared Longspur is best monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey, which samples much of the breeding range and has high precision. The national trend shows a slight increase during the 1970s, but a loss of over half the population by the late 1980s. After a few years of stabilization, that decline has continued through to the present, with the most recent population level 95% below where it was in the early 1970s.

The goal for Chestnut-collared Longspur is to increase the population to the level it was at in the early 1970s, based on the Breeding Bird Survey. Chestnut-collared Longspur is far below its goal range and its population decline is ongoing. The trend will need to stabilize before the population can begin to rebound, and it is not realistic for the goal to be met by 2050. Based on analysis of the historical population loss and potential growth rates, the interim target is to reach 25% of the goal by 2050. Achieving this target, and ultimately reaching the national goal for this species, will require ambitious and long-term conservation action. 

The goal outlined by the Recovery Strategy for Chestnut-collared Longspur under the Species at Risk Act calls for achieving a stable or increasing trend from 2016 to 2030, and returning to at least the mean abundance from 1980 to 1989 by 2045 (ECCC, 2018), which is roughly equivalent to 75% of early 1970s levels. Although this is a slightly lower long-term goal, the short-term SARA objective is more ambitious, and would require particularly significant effort to achieve.