The total global population, according to comprehensive field surveys from 2005 to 2013, is between 242 to 378 individuals. These data show they fell by 88% between 2002 and 2009, which equates to an annual rate of decline of 26%.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper – Photo taken in Go Cong, Tien Giang – February 2, 2023.
Decline has occurred in all known breeding sites and it is unlikely that significant populations are still detected BirdLife International (2015).
The main threat seems to be habitat loss along the migration route (especially Korea and China) and in wintering areas where tidal flats are being reclaimed for industry, infrastructure, etc. and aquaculture, and are increasingly contaminated, while other potentially threatening habitat changes have been reported at sites in India and Bangladesh.
The species is regularly captured for food in nets located in important wintering areas of Bangladesh and Myanmar. While this problem is also known to be a threat to this species in China and Vietnam.
Other threats on the breeding grounds include hunting and gathering of birds by specimen collectors (research or collect because it is so rare).
A group of organizations (in Europe and Asia) are currently engaged in research and conservation activities, especially in Russia, where the main breeding areas are closely monitored each breeding season. and many bird species are individually marked, to allow for identification in passing and in winter.
There is some evidence that eliminating, or at least reducing, the trapping of seabirds, including this species, on wintering grounds is beginning to work.
This year (2023) the Go Cong coast- Southern Vietnam, has seen a reduction and no bird netting, which is a very good sign, with considerable efforts being made to raise awareness of the local people. on the status of migratory seabirds, especially the Spoonbill.
The data in this article are referenced from BirdLife International (2015) Species fact sheet: Calidris pygmaea. Download from http://www.birdlife.org