Using the world’s smallest known satellite transmitter, conservationists were able to track a spoon-billed sandpiper, thought to be the world’s rarest migratory shorebird. The transmitter revealed new stopovers and nesting areas for an individual known as K9.
“K9 led us to a newly discovered breeding location and habitat, which could be a game-changer for Spoon-billed Sandpiper (SBS) conservation and research in the breeding grounds,” Sayam Chowdhury, co-director of the SBS task force, said in an email to Mongabay. “Better understanding of [these] sites and similar habitats will contribute significantly to the conservation of breeding habitats.”
The International Conservation Fund of Canada (ICFC) posted that the world’s smallest solar-powered satellite transmitter was glued to the back feathers of a spoon-billed sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) from Thailand that researchers dubbed “K9” based on the code on its orange leg band.
The transmitter, which weighs 1.2 grams and costs $5,000, was built by California-based Microwave Telemetry. Such transmitters have been helping ornithologists discover new sandpiper sites since 2016. Understanding where they spend time can help prevent poaching of the critically endangered species.
There are roughly 490 mature individuals worldwide, and in 2016 they were expected to go extinct within a decade. Conservation successes mean that while the population continues to decline, it’s “not as rapidly as before,” ICFC director of bird conservation Scott Hecker wrote on the ICFC website.
“The hope was that K9’s journey would reveal new nesting areas in northeastern Russia, helping efforts to prevent this unique species — with its distinctive spoon-shaped bill — from going extinct,” Hecker wrote.
After leaving Thailand on April 4, 2024, the bird used two previously unknown stopovers spots in China. By April 25, it had crossed the Yellow Sea to enter North Korea, from there it flew 2,000 kilometers (more than 1,200 miles) to Sakhalin, Russia, before another 2,000-km flight to eastern Russia — a remarkable 8,000-km (nearly 5,000-mi) one-way migration.
“K9 had one final surprise for scientists: the bird didn’t settle in its usual coastal habitat. Instead, it chose a barren river valley — a previously unknown nesting site,” Hecker wrote, adding that the location is undisclosed to protect the species from egg collectors.
In the SBS November 2024 news bulletin, Katherine Leung with the SBS tracking team wrote that K9 “remained at an undisclosed potential breeding site for two months until early August, suggesting successful breeding, before returning south.” She said a follow-up expedition to the new breeding site is being planned.
“The entire journey, including the use of stopover sites, highlights the critical importance of protecting key locations, such as those in North Korea,” Chowdhury said.
He said the task force is already working on a new action plan to protect key sites, identify coastal threats, prevent hunting risks, and enhance conservation efforts for the species.
Banner image of the spoon-billed sandpaper dubbed K9, courtesy of Dongming Li.