Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Image: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:JJ_Harrison" title="User:JJ Harrison">JJ Harrison</a> (<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.jjharrison.com.au/">https://www.jjharrison.com.au/</a>) (CC BY-SA 3.0)
NameSpoon-billed Sandpiper
Common NameSpoon-billed Sandpiper
Scientific NameEurynorhynchus pygmeus
FamilyScolopacidae
Wingspan (cm)29
Length (cm)15
Weight (g)31.5
Plumage DetailsIn non-breeding (winter) plumage, as depicted, the bird has white underparts and a pale brownish-grey back and wings with faint streaking. The head is pale with a darker eye-line and subtle streaking on the crown. Breeding plumage is much more striking, featuring a rufous head, neck, and breast with dark streaks, and dark brown upperparts with rufous feather fringes.
Vocalization / CallTypically gives a soft, trilling 'preep' or 'wheep' call, often described as a quiet, reedy whistle. It also produces short 'wit' or 'chip' notes.
Primary Dietinsectivore
Primary Habitatscoastal mudflats, estuaries, lagoons, saltmarshes, tundra
Conservation Statuscritically-endangered
Geographic RangeBreeds in the coastal tundra of northeastern Siberia, primarily on the Chukotka Peninsula and south to the Kamchatka Peninsula. It undertakes a long migration to winter along the coasts of Southeast Asia, including countries like Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
Identifying Featuresspatulate (spoon-shaped) bill, small size, short legs, distinctive non-breeding plumage (pale grey-brown upperparts, white underparts), distinctive breeding plumage (rufous head and breast)
Description
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is a small, distinctive shorebird easily recognized by its unique spatulate (spoon-shaped) bill. It forages by sweeping its specialized bill through shallow water and mud to catch small invertebrates. This critically endangered species breeds in the Arctic tundra and migrates to Southeast Asian coasts for winter.
