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From Near Extinction to Global Celebration
International Black-faced Spoonbill Day 2026

On 21 March 2026, conservationists and partners across the East Asian-Australasian Flyway will celebrate the first-ever International Black-faced Spoonbill Day. Once on the brink of extinction with fewer than 300 individuals remaining, the Black-faced Spoonbill has made a remarkable recovery and was downlisted on the IUCN Red List in 2025.

The new international day highlights this conservation success and calls for continued action to protect migratory waterbirds and wetland conservation across the Flyway.

First International Black-faced Spoonbill Day to Be Celebrated on 21 March 2026

 

The Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) is widely recognised as one of the most iconic migratory waterbirds within the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. By the late 1980s, fewer than 300 individuals were recorded globally, placing the species on the brink of extinction.

Since that time, the species has experienced a steady and well-documented population recovery. Reflecting this sustained progress, the Black-faced Spoonbill was downlisted on the IUCN Red List from Endangered (EN) to Vulnerable (VU) in 2025. This change represents an important conservation milestone and demonstrates the effectiveness of long-term, Flyway-scale conservation efforts.

The recovery of the Black-faced Spoonbill is the result of decades of coordinated conservation action across the Flyway, including the protection and management of key sites, wetland habitat conservation, scientific monitoring, policy support, and public engagement across its breeding, migratory, and wintering ranges.

 

First International Black-faced Spoonbill Day

To celebrate this conservation success and further raise awareness about migratory waterbirds and wetland conservation, the first International Black-faced Spoonbill Day will be observed on 21 March 2026.

The initiative is convened by the EAAFP Black-faced Spoonbill Working Group, of which Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Korea is a member. Partners and stakeholders across the Flyway are encouraged to organise activities suited to their local contexts.

To support coordinated outreach across the Flyway, a universal International Black-faced Spoonbill Day poster has been developed and made available for partners to use and adapt. The poster was designed by Nakamura Sayaka of the Japan Black-faced Spoonbill Network, with publication support from HSF Korea.

 

Further Information

International Black-faced Spoonbill Day (including press release)

https://eaaflyway.net/international-black-faced-spoonbill-day/ 

 

Black-faced Spoonbill – Species Information

https://eaaflyway.net/black-faced-spoonbill

 

Black-faced Spoonbill Working Group

https://eaaflyway.net/black-faced-spoonbill-working-group