Twenty critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper chicks hatch under expert care in the Russian Far East
Numbers of spoon-billed sandpipers have plummeted in recent years because of the destruction of wetland habitats and the effects of illegal trapping along their migration route.
While tackling these problems, conservationists are boosting the productivity of the remaining breeding pairs by taking eggs from the wild, hatching and rearing them in captivity and releasing them once they have fledged. The approach, known as headstarting, is a short-term tactic. It increases the number of birds approaching breeding age as conservationists tackle the problems of illegal trapping and habitat loss, hopefully enabling the species to stabilise and recover more quickly.
Conservationists took the eggs from the wild, in order to protect them from extreme weather and predators. The first hatched early last Wednesday morning and they continued until the last hatched on Sunday evening.
WWT Head of Species Conservation Dr Baz Hughes said: “This is conservation at the edge; it’s risky work, in difficult conditions, but my colleagues have proved yet again how incredibly experienced they are at rearing endangered birds. Breeding season is brief and brutal for spoon-billed sandpipers in the wild, but by intervening like this we can help rear five times as many young and help the population stabilise. But it’s expensive to work in the remote Russian Far East and it’s only possible due to the financial support we’ve raised for this charismatic bird.”
RSPB’s Head of International Species Recovery Team, Dr Rob Sheldon said: “This delightful and engaging bird has been brought to the edge of extinction by rampant habitat loss and severe hunting pressure, which are now being recognised and tackled. The conservation breeding programme is but one part of an international effort to save spoon-billed sandpipers. Head starting is an innovative additional technique that gives the population a helping hand at this critical stage in our attempts to prevent their extinction”
Chief Executive of Birds Russia Dr Evgeny Syroechkovskiy said: “We have come so close to losing the spoon-billed sandpiper. Each of these twenty chicks represents a bit more hope for the future of the species. I am very proud of the hard work by our team of fieldworkers, aviculturists and researchers.”
Jean-Christophe Vié, Director SOS – Save Our Species said: “At SOS - Save Our Species we are delighted to support this project and its innovative conservation methods. The headstarting programme had already delivered meaningful results in 2012 and the news of this additional batch of hatchlings in Chukotka fortifies hope for the spoon-billed sandpiper’s future. It is rewarding news not just for the experienced team out there but for all the unsung heroes who strive – often in remote corners of the world - to save our threatened species.”
Unique in the animal kingdom for being born with a spoon-shaped beak, the spoon-billed sandpiper has declined by a quarter year on year. With possibly fewer than 100 pairs left, it could be extinct within five to ten years. Foxes, skuas and feral dogs take eggs and chicks from the wild, ground-nesting spoon-billed sandpipers and sudden changes in the weather can be fatal. Studies show that on average each pair lays four eggs per year but raises less than one chick.
Artificial incubation and captive rearing increases that to more than three and, by taking eggs within days of them being laid, the birds’ naturally start again with a second clutch that they incubate and raise themselves.
Just five years ago, conservationists uncovered the largest, previously-unknown concentration of the birds in the Gulf of Martaban in Myanmar. Almost immediately it became obvious that bird hunting, carried out by the poorest sections of society, could be a major factor behind the recent drastic decline in numbers.
Two motions have been adopted by the IUCN World Conservation Congress that could help conserve habitats in the Yellow Sea for spoon-billed sandpipers and other migratory birds. Motion 32 Conservation of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and its threatened waterbirds, with particular reference to the Yellow Sea and Motion 66 Improving conservation and sustainability of the Yellow Sea.
The team is currently blogging about their progress at www.saving-spoon-billed-sandpiper.com
While tackling these problems, conservationists are boosting the productivity of the remaining breeding pairs by taking eggs from the wild, hatching and rearing them in captivity and releasing them once they have fledged. The approach, known as headstarting, is a short-term tactic. It increases the number of birds approaching breeding age as conservationists tackle the problems of illegal trapping and habitat loss, hopefully enabling the species to stabilise and recover more quickly.
Conservationists took the eggs from the wild, in order to protect them from extreme weather and predators. The first hatched early last Wednesday morning and they continued until the last hatched on Sunday evening.
WWT Head of Species Conservation Dr Baz Hughes said: “This is conservation at the edge; it’s risky work, in difficult conditions, but my colleagues have proved yet again how incredibly experienced they are at rearing endangered birds. Breeding season is brief and brutal for spoon-billed sandpipers in the wild, but by intervening like this we can help rear five times as many young and help the population stabilise. But it’s expensive to work in the remote Russian Far East and it’s only possible due to the financial support we’ve raised for this charismatic bird.”
RSPB’s Head of International Species Recovery Team, Dr Rob Sheldon said: “This delightful and engaging bird has been brought to the edge of extinction by rampant habitat loss and severe hunting pressure, which are now being recognised and tackled. The conservation breeding programme is but one part of an international effort to save spoon-billed sandpipers. Head starting is an innovative additional technique that gives the population a helping hand at this critical stage in our attempts to prevent their extinction”
Chief Executive of Birds Russia Dr Evgeny Syroechkovskiy said: “We have come so close to losing the spoon-billed sandpiper. Each of these twenty chicks represents a bit more hope for the future of the species. I am very proud of the hard work by our team of fieldworkers, aviculturists and researchers.”
Jean-Christophe Vié, Director SOS – Save Our Species said: “At SOS - Save Our Species we are delighted to support this project and its innovative conservation methods. The headstarting programme had already delivered meaningful results in 2012 and the news of this additional batch of hatchlings in Chukotka fortifies hope for the spoon-billed sandpiper’s future. It is rewarding news not just for the experienced team out there but for all the unsung heroes who strive – often in remote corners of the world - to save our threatened species.”
Unique in the animal kingdom for being born with a spoon-shaped beak, the spoon-billed sandpiper has declined by a quarter year on year. With possibly fewer than 100 pairs left, it could be extinct within five to ten years. Foxes, skuas and feral dogs take eggs and chicks from the wild, ground-nesting spoon-billed sandpipers and sudden changes in the weather can be fatal. Studies show that on average each pair lays four eggs per year but raises less than one chick.
Artificial incubation and captive rearing increases that to more than three and, by taking eggs within days of them being laid, the birds’ naturally start again with a second clutch that they incubate and raise themselves.
Just five years ago, conservationists uncovered the largest, previously-unknown concentration of the birds in the Gulf of Martaban in Myanmar. Almost immediately it became obvious that bird hunting, carried out by the poorest sections of society, could be a major factor behind the recent drastic decline in numbers.
Two motions have been adopted by the IUCN World Conservation Congress that could help conserve habitats in the Yellow Sea for spoon-billed sandpipers and other migratory birds. Motion 32 Conservation of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and its threatened waterbirds, with particular reference to the Yellow Sea and Motion 66 Improving conservation and sustainability of the Yellow Sea.
The team is currently blogging about their progress at www.saving-spoon-billed-sandpiper.com
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