The Spoon-billed Sandpiper could be extinct within a decade

Recent research suggests that the breeding population of Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus) was between 120-200 pairs in 2009, with the species believed to be declining at approximately 26% per year, due to extremely low survival of juvenile birds. If this trend continues, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper could be extinct within a decade.

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper was first listed as Critically Endangered in 2008 by BirdLife International on behalf of the IUCN. Over the last years the dramatic speed of decline has been realised, and thus the need for emergency action, without which the species stands a high risk of extinction. There are currently none in captivity, so there is no safety net against extinction in the wild.

Source: Worldwaders News Blog, 3 June 2011
http://worldwaders.posterous.com/emergency-mission-to-save-remarkable-b…