1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
An international survey team of over 19 surveyors from Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Singapore,
Thailand, Germany and the U.K. assembled in the remote coastal mudflats to survey the key
wintering areas of the Spoon-billed Sandpipers and other shorebirds. They were accompanied by an
experienced team of Myanmar surveyors of BANCA and local fishermen, who join up for theses
winter surveys for the tenth year. A total of 136,383 wetland depended birds of 64 species were
recorded in the Gulf of Mottama between 20 January and 1 February 2019. The survey team recorded
an estimated 112 critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper, based on the SBS proportion in 137
flock counts of over 36,000 birds extrapolated to an estimated 62,000 birds of small waders in the
area. These birds were encounter by the team at low tide feeding and widespread across the vast
mudflat habitats.. A Total of at least 14 individually flagged birds were observed. Of these four birds
could be identified individually. They include overall at least four head-started birds, as well as birds
marked on the breeding grounds and in China. Most interesting and surprising is the record of one
bird originating from the North Chukotka coast, an area that has very few birds left breeding there.
The relatively high proportion of 18.8% flagged birds could allow us to determine the overall global
population size, if we’d know of the total number of remaining flagged birds at this moment. For this
we have to wait for the breeding season and observe the return of marked birds into the breeding
population. Of other globally endangered species such as Great Knot 32 individual were observed,
as well as seven globally near-threatened species such Black-tailed Godwit (5,625 individuals), Bar-
tailed Godwit (21 individuals), Eurasian Curlew (597 individuals), Red-necked Stint (6,157 individuals
- 50% of Little & Red-necked Stint), Curlew Sandpiper (3,003 individuals) and Black-headed Ibis (51
individuals). The most abundant species were Lesser Sand Plover (16,385), Whiskered Tern (8,088)
and Kentish Plover (10,997).
2. INTRODUCTION
Coastal wetlands are important for the livelihood of the local communities, as well as offers invaluable
habitat to migratory birds. Main coastline of Myanmar is approximately 2400 km long, which is perhaps
the most intact coastline in Southeast Asia. Along the Myanmar coastal regions, the largest estuary in
Myanmar, Gulf of Mottama (GOM) is located at Yangon Region, Bago Region and Mon State. The area
is about 250,000 ha and the mudflat area (75,000) ha that bordered with mouth of Sittaung River and
Bay of Bangal. Gulf of Moattama wetland area is funnel-shape, the tide range is wide, during the spring
tide when the tide range is about (7-8) m covered the all mudflat area and during the need tide when the
tide range is about (3) m height. Its tidal cycle is extremely pronounced in speed and amplitude causing
a powerful bore phenomenon. The highly productive intertidal mudflats support up to 200,000 -
waterbirds, of which 12 are globally threatened according to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
including the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) is a long distance migrant, breeding in Russia and
annually migrating more than 8,000 km to winter in South and South-east Asia, with approximately half
of the global population is understood to be wintering in Myanmar and the large majority in the GOM