Spoon-billed Sandpiper

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Calidris pygmaea, is a diminutive wader, instantly recognizable by its unique spatulate bill. During the breeding season, adults don a red-brown plumage on their head, neck, and breast, adorned with dark brown streaks, while their upperparts are blackish with buff and pale rufous fringing. In contrast, non-breeding adults exhibit a more subdued pale brownish-grey upperparts with white underparts and black legs. This species measures a modest 14–16 cm in length.

Identification Tips

When identifying the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, look for the following key features: a wing length of 98–106 mm, a bill length of 19–24 mm with a tip breadth of 10–12 mm, a tarsus of 19–22 mm, and a tail length of 37–39 mm. The bird's most distinctive feature, its spoon-shaped bill, is unmistakable when viewed from the side or above.

Habitat

The breeding habitat of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is found along sea coasts and adjacent tundra on the Chukchi Peninsula, extending southwards along the Kamchatka Peninsula isthmus.

Distribution

This species embarks on a remarkable migration down the Pacific coast through Japan, Korea, and China to reach its wintering grounds in South and Southeast Asia. It has been recorded in a range of countries, including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore.

Behaviour

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper exhibits a distinctive feeding style, moving its bill side-to-side while walking forward with its head down. It nests in June–July in coastal tundra areas, preferring sites with grass near freshwater pools.

Song & Calls

The contact calls include a quiet "preep" or a shrill "wheer," while the song during display is an intermittent buzzing and descending trill "preer-prr-prr." The male's display flight involves brief hovers, circling, and rapid diving while singing.

Diet and Feeding

This species forages on moss in tundras and consumes a variety of smaller animals such as mosquitoes, flies, beetles, and spiders. It also feeds on marine invertebrates like shrimp and worms.

Conservation Status

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is critically endangered, with fewer than 2500 mature individuals remaining, and possibly fewer than 1000. The primary threats include habitat loss on breeding grounds and the loss of tidal flats across its migratory and wintering range. Conservation efforts are underway, including protected areas and a breeding program in the United Kingdom aimed at increasing survival rates.

Similar Species

There are no other species with a bill shape similar to that of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, making it quite unique and easily distinguishable from other waders.

Breeding

Breeding occurs in the tundra, where the Spoon-billed Sandpiper selects grassy areas near freshwater to lay its eggs. Conservation efforts have included collecting eggs for a captive breeding program, which has shown promising results in increasing the survival rates of this imperiled species.