© Sayam U. Chowdhury
Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) is one of the rarest shorebirds in the world and is endemic to the East Asian–Australasian Flyway (EAAF). There are possibly fewer than 300 individuals remaining globally. It was uplisted to Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2008.
ⓒ EAAFP / Sayam U. Chowdhury
This small wader measures 14–16 cm in length, and typically weighs around 29.5 to 34 grams. The species is particularly distinctive for its unusual spoon-shaped bill, a unique feature that has earned it the nickname “Spoonie”. During the breeding season, adults display reddish heads and breasts, while in the non-breeding season their plumage becomes predominantly white and grey. This tiny, sparrow-sized shorebird breeds exclusively in Northeastern Russia and migrates about 8,000 km twice a year to and from South China, SE Asia and Bangladesh, passing through the Russian Far East, Korea, China and Japan – almost entirely restricted to coastal wetlands. Despite more than 20 years of international conservation work in almost all of the 14 range countries along its flyway, the species population is still declining. It is facing multiple threats across the flyway, ranging from habitat loss, hunting pressure and disturbance, as well as a range of global issues such as pollution and climate change.
ⓒ EAAFP
In 2010, the first International Species Action Plan for the species, funded by BirdLife International and the CMS, was prepared and launched at the Meeting of Parties of the East Asia–Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) in Songdo, Republic of Korea. Since then, many of the identified conservation actions have been implemented, benefitting many other species and local communities. However, Spoonie, as it is affectionately nicknamed by those working for its protection, is still declining but at a much lower rate than it was in 2010.
ⓒ EAAFP / Sayam U. Chowdhury
A total of 14 new protected areas along the flyway covering over 830,000 ha have been established since 2010, increasing the coverage of Spoonie sites being protected from 4 to 17%. Habitat loss has stopped in almost all range countries. China successfully started to restore coastal wetlands and high tide roost sites for the sandpiper and many other coastal waterbirds. Hunting has ceased in many important places along the flyway, although recently started again in parts of Myanmar, due to economic hardship, arising from the internal conflict. New conservation methods have improved breeding success, such as head-starting on the breeding grounds in Chukotka, Russia whereby eggs are hatched artificially and the chicks released to the wild as soon as they are ready.
New advances in research and technology have enhanced our knowledge of the species’ biology, distribution and migration routes. In particular, satellite tracking technology has enabled the discovery of previously unknown stop over and breeding sites. Also, modern genetic analyses techniques allowed further insights into the plight of the species.
Considering both the continuing decline and the experiences gained, it was deemed opportune and urgent to develop a new Action Plan for the next 10 years to ultimately reverse the decline and save this charismatic species from extinction.
In November 2025 the new International Single Species Action Plan (SSAP) for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper was endorsed by the 12th EAAFP Meeting of Parties. The action plan can be accessed here. It is the product of the work and contribution of over 40 members of the international Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force – outlining a range of about 75 actions covering; hunting mitigating, habitat protection and restoration, planning protected areas and sister sites across the flyway, resuming the head-starting in Russia, establishing a conservation breeding programme and continuing to raise awareness across the flyway at global and at local site levels. Most of all, the plan will continue to foster the collaboration of like-minded conservationists and communities, encouraging cooperation across national, political, religious and cultural boundaries. The SSAP exemplifies more than ever the need for flyway-wide international cooperation, especially important at times of globally increasing national focus.
The editors of the Action Plan would like to thank all the many contributors and friends across the flyway and beyond who helped to draft this plan. We also like to thank the many donors from across the world for their generous and continued support in the conservation of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Christoph Zöckler (Chair EAAFP SBS Task Force, Manfred-Hermsen Stiftung), Sayam U. Chowdhury (Coordinator EAAFP SBS Task Force, Bangladesh), Paul Insua Cao (RSPB, U.K.)
Spoon-billed Sandpiper Action Plan 2025–2035: https://eaaflyway.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/SBS-AP-2025-35.pdf
