These rare birds, nicknamed spoonies, have small bodies, short necks, black legs, and a distinctive beak like a small spoon, broadening at the end. Some now carry tags to help us track them. In Thailand, about 9 carry codes such as 02, 05, AA, P7, U6, 0C, 5 (x), 77, EH. Some birds are collected from their nest and hatched in incubators to boost their chances of surviving predators. During the birds’ migration, birdwatchers around the world dream of seeing one. One place they might is at Ban Laem in Phetchaburi.
Some spoonies will be equipped with satellite transmitters to track their journey of over 8,000 km in October from Russia to Southeast Asia. They stay until March before returning home. Birdwatchers from all over the world bring revenue to the local community during the high season. Helping conserve the wetlands is vital not only for the spoonie but for other species and humans too.
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Thanks for the information: Bird Conservation Society of Thailand