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Spoon-billed sandpiper, Eurynorhynchus pygmeus/Calidris pygmeus
alias pygmaeus
Why two scientific names? Click here.
  Spoon-billed sandpiper, Eurynorhynchus pygmeus/Calidris pygmeus Photo by: PIPAT SUTHIWISADESAK   Spoon-billed sandpiper, Eurynorhynchus pygmeus/Calidris pygmeus © Photo: C. Zöckler, Chukotka, 2000 and © Photo: Chris Schenk 2000 Spoon-billed sandpiper, Eurynorhynchus pygmaeus Population to day is estimated to <3.000 birds, of which only <1.000 pairs, from the Eastern tip of the Asian continent down to Kamchatka. According to www.wetlands.org The Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Eurynorhynchus pygmeus is unique among waders and, with its rare occurrence and localised breeding area in Northeast Russia, is a very charismatic species. It is the only globally threatened sandpiper breeding in the Arctic (BirdLife International 2000). Recent research carried out this summer at selected breeding sites indicates a dramatic decline in the species' fortune. The current global population estimate is between 4,000 and 6,000 birds. There is now evidence that the current population might not exceed 1,000 breeding pairs. Further research and internationally co-ordinated attention and action is required to halt the further decline of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. On migration, the species has been found in Russia along the Pacific coast and islands. It has been regularly recorded in Japan, North and South Korea, China and Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, possibly in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia (once) and Singapore (Collar et al. 2000). Throughout its range it appears to be rare on migration and in winter. The largest flock ever recorded was 257 birds in the Ganges delta, Bangladesh (Howes & Parish 1989). UPDATE 1: Pavel Tomkovich mailed us this additional information in Aug 2002: "The situation with this species is indeed alarming. We realized two years ago that the situation was not healthy and this summer we undertook another survey to Belyaka Spit, northern Chukotsky Peninsula. The results confirmed our worst expectations: the population has declined about 2.5 times in the 15 years since the previous period of surveys and birds also declined or disappeared from other surveyed sites. Reasons for this situation are not clear: however, a decline all over the breeding range means that any reason is common for the whole population and thus possibly lies outside the breeding range, although low productivity is also possibly a factor. Saemankeum is one of the key sites on the flyway for the species, and its reclamation may become fatal for the remaining population of Spoon-billed Sandpiper." From "Spoon-billed Sandpiper: Probable Population Crash" By: Pavel Tomkovich, Christoph Zockler et al UPDATE 2: Table 1: Population Trends
The main reason for the decline has been suggested to relate to the habitat conditions along the migration route (Syroechkovskiy, 2004; Zöckler et al. 2006, Syroechkovskiy. & Zöckler in prep). According to the latest global waterbird assessment 40% of the waterbird populations are declining worldwide, but the percentage is considerably higher, at 59% for the waterbird populations in the Asian region (Wetlands International 2006), further pointing to the region' s fragile status of ecosystem health. For the Asian pacific region the Siberian Crane AP (Action Plan) was developed in 1993 with a Memorandum of Understanding and a conservation plan (UNEP/CMS 1999). In 1995, an AP was developed for the Black-faced Spoonbill by BirdLife partners in Asia (Severinghaus et al. 1995). Both are very successful and will serve as the main model for the AP for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 
crowberry-lichen vegetation © www.vulkaner.no 
© www.vulkaner.no The species is an endemic breeder to Russia's far North East. It also only breeds in coastal tundra along a discontinuous line of 4,500 km. The species has never been recorded breeding further than 5 (and exceptionally 7 km) from the sea shore and breeds only in limited types of habitat, mainly lagoon spits with crowberry-lichen vegetation (Tomkovich 1995; Tomkovich et al., 2002, Zöckler 2003, Syroechkovskiy 2004). Its conspicuous spatular bill is used in a different fashion to capture food items mostly under water and in mudflats, but also in picking larger insects from tundra vegetation. –  Arctic Fox " In the North the breeding success is much lower due to predation by foxes and avian predators, and other unknown reasons. " Southern breeding areas demonstrate a good breeding success in most years Breeding in Chukotka and the very north of Kamchatka, NE Russia, it arrives on the breeding grounds in early June. First chicks hatch around end of June, and fledglings occur in late July and August. Most birds leave the breeding area by August and migrate across the Sea of Okhotsk. First migrants are observed in Japan and Korea from early August with the peak in late September. By the end of October first migrants arrive at regular staging sites in the Gulf of Thailand, where some birds stay over winter. Wintering birds in Bangladesh arrive at the end of November with some birds staying until April. By then most birds have started migration passing Chinese coasts between March and May, reaching Korea in April with the peaking in mid May, and Kamchatka in late May before arriving back on the breeding grounds. –
Peter Ericsson New wintering sites for Spoon-billed Sandpiper have been discovered in Myanmar (www.BirdLife.org ). A mention that people can sign up to receive our News Stories by email (http://www.birdlife.org/news/subscription.html ) or RRS feed (http://www.birdlife.org/rss/news.xml ) Bangladesh: Previously considered to be the main wintering area with flocks of well over 200 birds in the late 1980s and still is one of the most important wintering areas with regular sightings of up to 25 birds annually - Myanmar Very recent new data give indications that this country is an important potential wintering area. Recent data need verifying. – 1) Habitat degradation and fragmentation  Significant breeding habitat degradation was observed in 5 of 30 visited breeding locations. On the west coast of Provideniya Bay about 80% of the habitat was changed by military activities, causing the total loss of SBS population in the area. The building of country houses in former SBS breeding sites is reported from Lakhtina Lagoon and road construction had transformed the habitat near the town of Egvekinot. Serious damage to several sq km of the best SBS crowberry habitat has been observed on the spits of Uel'kal' in the North and Meinypilgyno, South Chukotka. Some influence of habitat transformation by caterpillar tracks, road construction and gravel collecting in 2005-06 for construction works has influenced the breeding sites south of Anadyr airport and north at Nikolaya spit. Despite low human population density in the breeding areas human transformation may influence some of the best SBS habitat on the spits. 2) Natural predators Natural predation on the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is lower than in many other Arctic waders. In the southern part of the distribution, there are only Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and avian predators, such as gulls and skuas. 
Fiery fox, Vulpes vulpes © www.vulkaner.no In the northern part of the breeding areas, on the Chukchi Peninsula, Arctic Foxes (Alopex alopex) are responsible for the considerably higher losses of nests and chicks. Between the 1950s and mid 1990s the Arctic Fox population was under severe pressure from the local population, hunting and trapping foxes along the sea coast, where traditionally the largest proportion of the hunting (80%) has been carried out. Since the mid 1990s the fox numbers have increased. The annual hunting bags contained 2200-8100 animals during 1933 and 1988. After 'perestroika' the price for furs fell sharply and the annual numbers of trapped foxes declined to only 100- 300 animals (K.B.Klokov in lit). Although no exact figures are available it is most likely the foxes have increased sharply. Targeted studies are necessary to confirm the trend and likely impact. However, the continuing decline of SBS in other areas without any Arctic foxes invite researchers to look beyond the local predators Research and monitoring activities, especially the capture of adult breeding birds on the nest, can cause significant disturbance although is considered vital for conservation research.   Spoon-billed sandpiper nests only on coastal spits in Kamchatka. . It's the rarest bird of the Arctic: the population has dropped from 2000 to 200 in six years due to loss of migration stopover sites in Korea. Photo: From the homepages of Vladimir Dinets 
 Spoon-billed sandpipers feed on numerous small tundra lakes. They apparently use their weird bills to get tiny invertebrates from the mud. Photo: From the homepages of Vladimir Dinets SBS does react to the presence of observers and to being caught in the same way as other Calidris waders. Therefore only experienced, well-instructed and trained researchers should be allowed to catch and ring these birds. . In several other cases we received reports from taxidermists or oral reports from local people, who guided well-paying collectors to SBS breeding sites. Most of these cases have been confirmed by different sources and there is no doubt about ongoing activities in collecting skins and clutches. There are at least 3 sites where we failed to find breeding SBS for several years after visits of collecting expeditions: Kivak Lagoon and Plover Spit near Provideniya, which were visited by American private collectors, who came via Nome in early 1996-98 and Gek Spit at Anadyr Estuary, visited by a Swiss-French taxidermist expedition in the mid 1990s. In the year 2005-06 several private collectors from Western Europe offered to pay several thousand US for one dead SBS. The announcement was made through the network of game biologists and hunting tourism agencies in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and Anadyr.
Peter Ericsson Only 200-300 pairs Spoon-billed Sandpiper exist. (www.BirdLife.org ). A mention that people can sign up to receive our News Stories by email (http://www.birdlife.org/news/subscription.html ) or RRS feed (http://www.birdlife.org/rss/news.xml ) In one case the culprit admitted his activities and mentioned that the value of one clutch would cover his travel expenses plus additional lucrative profits. Climatic changes: For the Bering and Chukchi Sea coasts of Chukotka there is evidence of: 1) Decrease of sea ice coverage in June-July, which increases the probability of floods during breeding period and wave erosion of best breeding habitat. 2) Rising of the annual and summer temperatures, with changes in vegetation from crowberry tundra to richer, multi-layered bushy vegetation much less suitable as habitat for the species. 3) Decrease of precipitation in both winter and spring, with a drying of the tundra habitat, which has been observed already. Local authorities in Anadyr report an increase in tundra fires around Anadyr over the last 20 years. A recent study carried out at the University at Fairbanks in neighbouring Alaska concluded that Arctic lakes are drying up with a loss of lake surface area of 11% since 1973 (Hinzman et al. 2005).  © Copyright Waterbirds around the world A global overview of the conservation, management and research of the world's waterbird flyways www.jncc.gov.uk www.jncc.gov.uk/worldwaterbirds Text from: International Single species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Eurynorhynchus pygmeus Consultation Draft © Copyright http://www.chinabirdnet.org www.birdlife-asia.org
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