Length: 8.5 inches | Wingspan: 18 inches | Seasonality: Non-resident in South Dakota |
ID Keys: Distinctive spatulate bill. Breeding plumage - Rich rufous-brown head, neck and upper breast, white underparts, black legs. Non-breeding birds lack rich rufous tones. |
The
Spoon-billed Sandpiper is a unique small sandpiper that breeds in Siberia,
and winters in Southeast Asia. In North America, they are but very rare
vagrants, with a handful of sightings in Alaska and elsewhere in western
North America. Numbers of Spoon-billed Sandpipers have never been very
high, as they breed in a relatively small geographic area with very specific
habitat requirements. However, in the last few decades, populations
have drastically declined, and the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is now one of the
most endangered birds on the planet. As of 2012, perhaps only 100
breeding pairs remain. Threats to the species are many, and include
loss of crucial estuary and mudflat habitat on their migration route from
eastern Russia to southeastern Asia. One factor that has undoubtedly
taken a heavy toll though is subsistence hunting of shorebirds by
impoverished locals in Myanmar, one of the areas Spoon-billed Sandpipers use
as wintering grounds. Locals in Myanmar use fine netting on mudflats
to capture shorebirds for sustenance. Given the very small population
of Spoon-billed Sandpipers, it's very possible for a single net setup to
capture a substantial portion of the remaining population. Conservation
efforts are underway to try to save the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, but many
believe the species could be extinct in as little as 5 years.
Click below for a higher-resolution map |
![]() |
South Dakota Status: Non-resident in South Dakota |