Spoon-billed Sandpiper news

Spoon-billed Sandpiper is now considered to be one of the rarest birds in the world and as a result of the tragic war in Ukraine, it is no longer possible to visit the breeding grounds of this enigmatic and critically endangered bird in the remote far east of Russia. Despite this, there is still an international team, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force, working hard to save the species from extinction.

WildWings are proud to be the main Conservation Sponsors of Global Birdfair and this was one of the groups who were able to attend this important event last summer due to our financial support.

The Task Force issues regular updates with the latest news about this special bird and if you are interested in reading their latest newsletter, please click here to download it.

The newsletter includes an update on an expedition to an unknown inland breeding site in the mountains of Kamchatka in summer 2025. This project was prompted by satellite tracking data from 2024 which had shown that a bird was present in this unexpected region during that summer. A team successfully visited the remote region in July 2025 finding three breeding pairs. Arguably more significantly, this discovery confirmed a suspicion that not all Spoon-billed Sandpipers breed close to the coast which had previously been the widespread belief.

Although it is impossible to predict when our trips to the breeding grounds will resume, there are still opportunities to see this unique species in Thailand and China and please check the calendars on the WildWings and Limosa websites for forthcoming tours where we hope to find “Spoonie”.