Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor)
Photo: Cp9asngf (Wikimedia Commons)
BirdLife International is reporting that a recent annual census of the globally endangered Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) was a record breaker! Counters from across East Asia counted a record-high 3,356 birds. A record-high count yes, but its a matter of perspective, of course. The global population of spoonbills is still dangerously small, and despite the count, the species has declined significantly in some of its traditionally important wintering sites, such as China's Mai Po Nature Reserve. Read more on the spoonbill and the census.
