Survey for spoon-billed sandpipers begins in key southern Myanmar bird sites

The two critical sites for winter birds in the southern part of Myanmar have been surveyed to record the arrivals of Spoon-billed Sandpiper, according to U Shein Thu Lwin from Nature Conservation Society-Myanmar (NSC).
“We survey two sites of Taninthayi Region. The exact digits for this year will be released in early February. There are many key sites where the migratory birds enter. Of them, we survey the two crucial areas, Myeik and Bokpyin. Then, we also survey the Spoon-billed Sandpiper (SBS). They flock to Asian regions from Siberia of Russia in winter. Myanmar is one of the Asian countries where they hibernate. They flock most at that time, so we are waiting for that moment to survey,” he said.
The migratory birds have been late to Myanmar skies (southern part) this winter, which also shows a lowering in the numbers of migrating birds. The survey commenced in two significant sites south of Myanmar in the last week of December 2023.
Only 500 Spoon-billed Sandpipers remain in the world; of them, about 300 birds fly to mangrove forests in the southern part of Myanmar. — ASH/KTZH