20 Critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper chicks hatched by scientists

‘Headstarted' spoon-billed sandpipers hatch

July 2013. Twenty critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper chicks have hatched under expert care in the Russian Far East.

Conservationists took the eggs from the wild, in order to protect them from extreme weather and predators. The first hatched early last Wednesday morning and they continued until the last hatched on Sunday evening.

Threats

Numbers of spoon-billed sandpipers plummeted in recent years because of the destruction of wetland habitats and the effects of illegal trapping along their migration route.

Release after fledging

While tackling these problems, conservationists are boosting the productivity of the remaining breeding pairs by taking eggs from the wild, hatching and rearing them in captivity and releasing them once they have fledged.

Predators

Foxes, skuas and feral dogs take eggs and chicks from the wild, ground-nesting spoon-billed sandpipers and sudden changes in the weather can be fatal. Studies show that on average each pair lays four eggs per year but raises less than one chick.

Continued