Which critically endangered shorebird is named for its spatula-shaped bill?

The critically endangered shorebird named for its spatula-shaped bill is the spoon-billed sandpiper.

Its scientific name is Calidris pygmaea, and its unusually broad, flattened bill is the feature behind its common name. The bill is not just decorative: the bird uses it to probe and sweep through wet mud for small invertebrates. Spoon-billed sandpipers breed on tundra in northeastern Russia and migrate along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway to coastal wintering areas in South and Southeast Asia.

The species has declined because tidal flats and other coastal wetlands are being reclaimed or degraded across its migration route. Hunting, disturbance, and the loss of important stopover sites have added further pressure. The Yellow Sea, including wetlands in China and Korea, is especially important because migrating birds depend on its mudflats to refuel.

It is easy to confuse the spoon-billed sandpiper with other small waders such as dunlins or red knots. Those birds may share muddy coastal habitats, but neither has the spoon-shaped bill. Conservationists have also established captive-breeding efforts, including a program launched in Britain after birds were transferred from Russia.