Critically Endangered Spoon-Billed Sandpiper Returns to Bengal Coast After 8,000-Km Migration from Russia

One of the world’s rarest migratory shorebirds, the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea), has been recorded again along the West Bengal coast, highlighting the importance of India’s coastal wetlands in the survival of threatened migratory species. The bird, carrying a distinctive lime-green identification tag marked ‘2K’, was photographed at Kargil Beach near Bakkhali in South 24 Parganas district on October 24, 2026, and subsequently at nearby Patibunia Beach on October 25.

The identification tag enabled birdwatchers to establish that the individual had been marked as a wild chick in Russia’s Chukotka region on July 6, 2025. Its appearance on the Bengal coast, approximately 8,000 kilometres from its tagging location, provides valuable evidence of the extraordinary distances travelled by this severely threatened species and the importance of protecting coastal habitats along its migratory route.

A Rare Bird Returns to the Bengal Coast

The latest sighting was documented by birdwatchers monitoring the coastal wetlands around Bakkhali and Patibunia, an area that has attracted increasing attention because of its importance to migratory shorebirds.

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper had previously been recorded at Patibunia during March 2026. On March 29, birdwatcher Sandip Das, accompanied by Soumya Aon and Kaustav Khan, photographed an untagged individual at the beach. Two days later, birdwatcher Jayanta Manna photographed another bird carrying a lime-green identification tag on its right leg.

The tagged bird was subsequently observed in the area until June 1, 2026. When a bird bearing the same identification mark appeared again at Kargil Beach in October, observers were able to establish that it was the individual documented earlier in the year.

The identification of the same bird across multiple sightings provides important evidence of its continued survival and repeated use of coastal habitats in southern West Bengal.

The October record is particularly significant because confirmed observations of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper in India are exceptionally rare. Photographic records from West Bengal include an earlier sighting in 2018 and multiple individuals documented during 2026.

An Extraordinary Journey from Russia’s Arctic Coast

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper breeds in the remote coastal tundra of northeastern Russia, particularly in the Chukotka region, where birds nest during the short Arctic summer.

The individual recorded in West Bengal was tagged at Meinypilgyno in Chukotka on July 6, 2025. The lime-green identification marker, bearing the code ‘2K’, subsequently allowed conservation researchers and birdwatchers to connect the bird’s observations in India with its Russian tagging record.

The approximate distance between its tagging location and the Bengal coast is 8,000 kilometres, although the precise route followed by the individual has not been established.

Spoon-billed Sandpipers migrate along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, which connects breeding grounds in northeastern Asia with important coastal feeding and wintering habitats across East, South and Southeast Asia.

The species depends on a network of intertidal wetlands where migrating birds can rest and replenish their energy reserves.

The Bengal sighting demonstrates how the survival of a small migratory bird can depend upon the ecological condition of wetlands separated by thousands of kilometres and several international borders.

One of the World’s Most Threatened Shorebirds

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is classified as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, reflecting the severe decline in its global population.

Conservation estimates indicate that fewer than 500 individuals remain in the wild, making it one of the world’s most threatened migratory shorebirds.

The species faces multiple pressures throughout its annual migration, including the loss of coastal wetlands, land reclamation, disturbance at feeding grounds and hunting in parts of its wintering range.

The destruction and degradation of intertidal habitats are particularly serious threats because migrating shorebirds require suitable feeding areas at specific stages of their journeys.

For a species already reduced to such a small population, the survival of individual birds is important. However, a single successful migration or repeated sighting does not establish that the wider population is recovering.

The Distinctive Spoon-Shaped Bill

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is a small shorebird that can be distinguished from other sandpipers by the unusual shape of its bill.

Unlike most sandpipers, which possess relatively narrow and pointed bills, this species has a flattened, spatula-shaped bill tip resembling a miniature spoon.

This specialised structure helps the bird locate and capture small aquatic invertebrates while feeding in shallow water and on wet mudflats.

The bird commonly moves its bill from side to side while searching for food, using its distinctive feeding behaviour to exploit small organisms present in intertidal sediments.

During the breeding season, adults develop richer reddish-brown plumage around the head and breast. Outside the breeding season, their appearance becomes predominantly greyish and white, making them difficult to distinguish from other small shorebirds without a clear view of the bill.

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper’s highly specialised feeding adaptations make the preservation of suitable coastal mudflats essential to its survival.

Why the Wetlands of West Bengal Matter

The coastal environment around Bakkhali, Patibunia and the adjoining Sundarbans region provides important feeding and resting habitats for migratory waterbirds.

Intertidal mudflats support a variety of small invertebrates, including organisms consumed by shorebirds during migration.

As the tide retreats, exposed mudflats provide feeding opportunities for sandpipers, plovers and other wading birds. These habitats become especially important during long-distance migration, when birds must accumulate sufficient energy to continue their journeys.

The repeated observations of Spoon-billed Sandpipers along the West Bengal coast suggest that this area deserves particular attention in future shorebird monitoring and habitat assessments.

Local birdwatchers have undertaken regular surveys of Patibunia and Kargil beaches, documenting the presence of migratory species and recording changes in bird activity.

According to reporting on the October sighting, the South 24 Parganas Forest Division has installed awareness signs and increased patrols to discourage disturbance to birds using the coastal habitat.

These measures are particularly relevant because some important shorebird habitats occur outside formally designated forest areas and remain vulnerable to human disturbance and changes in land use.

International Conservation Efforts to Save the Species

The conservation of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper requires cooperation among countries situated along its migratory flyway.

Conservation programmes have been undertaken in Russia to protect breeding sites and improve the survival of young birds. One important intervention involves a technique known as headstarting, in which eggs are collected and chicks are raised under controlled conditions before being released into the wild.

This approach is intended to reduce mortality during the earliest stages of life and increase the number of young birds surviving to migration.

Conservation organisations and researchers have also worked to identify important stopover and wintering habitats, particularly along the coasts of East and Southeast Asia.

These efforts include population monitoring, habitat protection, measures to reduce hunting and the identification of wetlands requiring conservation attention.

The use of individually identifiable leg tags plays an important role in these programmes. When tagged birds are photographed or observed at distant locations, researchers can obtain information about migration, survival and habitat use without having to recapture them.

The West Bengal record demonstrates the value of international bird-tagging programmes and citizen participation in monitoring critically endangered migratory species.

A Valuable Record for India’s Migratory Bird Conservation

The reappearance of the tagged Spoon-billed Sandpiper in October 2026 adds another important observation to India’s limited records of the species.

The sighting connects the remote Arctic breeding grounds of northeastern Russia with the coastal mudflats of West Bengal, demonstrating the geographical scale of the conservation measures required to protect migratory wildlife.

The observations also highlight the contribution of Indian birdwatchers, researchers and conservation volunteers in documenting species that are rarely encountered within the country.

Protecting coastal feeding grounds, maintaining regular monitoring and minimising disturbance will remain important for understanding the role of India’s eastern coastline in the species’ migration.

For a bird with fewer than 500 individuals estimated to survive in the wild, every confirmed record contributes valuable information. The return of the tagged Spoon-billed Sandpiper to West Bengal reinforces the importance of India’s coastal wetlands within the international conservation network supporting this exceptionally rare species.