A Rare Visitor - The Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Every year, countless waterfowl arrive in Hong Kong to overwinter because Hong Kong is a stopover site along one of the world's largest waterbird migratory flyways. Each spring, among the large number of waterfowl that arrive, one species draws particular attention. As there are typically no more than three birds of this species present at the same time from among the thousands of waterfowl, birdwatching enthusiasts go to great lengths to catch a glimpse of it. This bird is the Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea), a "critically endangered" species.
Many waterfowl have migratory habitats, with fixed migration routes. The areas covered by them are known as "flyways". Among these, the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) is one of the largest waterfowl flyways in the world. As Hong Kong is a stopover site, it is a place to observe a large number of precious waterfowl, of which the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is one of them.
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper has a plump body and measures just 14 to 16 cm in length. Its distinctive feature is its flat, spoon-shaped black bill. They are not picky eaters, consuming terrestrial insects, beetle larvae, small seeds, as well as marine polychaete worms, snails, and amphipods. As for how their spoon-shaped bill aids in their foraging, experts still do not have a definitive answer.
The breeding range of Spoon-billed Sandpipers is limited to the Chukchi Peninsula in northeastern Russia, extending south to the isthmus of the Kamchatka peninsula. They migrate along the western Pacific coastline to their main overwinter destinations in southern China, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Hong Kong serves as a stopover site for their migration. During the spring migration period around every April, there is a chance to spot these birds on the mudflats of Deep Bay, in nearby gei wais, or drained fishponds. Generally, there are no more than three Spoon-billed Sandpipers stopping in Hong Kong at any one time. They also often blend in with large flocks of similar-sized stints while foraging, making them difficult to spot. However, birdwatchers relish the challenge!
Collaborative Conservation Efforts
Spoon-billed Sandpipers nest between June and July and select their nesting sites with great care. They only nest on lagoon spits with crowberry-lichen vegetation or dwarf birch and willow sedges near lakes and marshes. These sites must also be close to estuaries and mudflats so that adult birds can forage easily during nesting.
The scarce nesting sites suitable for Spoon-billed Sandpipers, combined with habitat destruction and illegal hunting, have sharply declined their numbers. Currently, it is estimated that only 250 to 620 mature birds remain globally, with the latest estimated decline rate being 8% per year. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species listed them as critically endangered in 2021.
Fortunately, much has been done internationally to conserve the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. In 2010, an international organisation called the "Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force" was established, comprising governments and non-governmental organisations from multiple countries. Their work includes monitoring Spoon-billed Sandpiper populations, protecting their habitats, and promoting public education. Several bird organisations across Asia also carry out surveys and educational outreach efforts for Spoon-billed Sandpipers. The "Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)" in the UK even runs an artificial breeding programme to collect eggs from the wild, incubate them in laboratories, raise the chicks until they learn to fly and then release them back into the wild. The programme hopes to increase Spoon-billed Sandpiper numbers in the long term.
