  |
|||
|
|
|
||
|
Posted by Rosemary Drisdelle Oct 14, 2007 |
BirdLife International reports that the population of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Eurynorhynchus pygmeus, has dropped by 70% in just a few years, leaving only between 200 and 300 pairs of birds. The reasons are all too familiar: coastal development has taken the wetlands that they rely on for food while migrating, and predators in their breeding grounds are making it impossible to successfully nest and raise young. With so few birds left, the world may lose this species.
Spoon-billed Sandpipers spend their winters in South and South-east Asia, and migrate along the Pacific coast to breeding grounds in the coastal arctic tundra of Russia. Along the way, they stop to feed and rest in wetlands that were once abundant. Today these wetlands are being reclaimed for building, and turned into shrimp farms and salt pans. The birds can’t find enough to eat as they migrate, and those that do return safely to the northern breeding grounds each year face predation by dogs and foxes.
Groups like BirdLife International are working to save the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, but it may be a case of too little too late – it’s not likely we’re going to get those lost wetlands back any time soon.
Recovery efforts for other species:
Don't Disturb the Piping Plover