From March to June every year, thousands of migratory shorebirds will visit Teluk Air Tawar-Kuala Muda (TAT-KM), which is recognised as an important bird and biodiversity area.
The 600ha mangrove forest at TAT-KM is 10km long and 2km wide at its highest point. The ecosystem consists of extensive mudflats stretching from the river mouth of Sungai Abdul at Bagan Belat up to dataran Tsunami Kuala Muda on the north side.
Up to 12,000 shorebirds have been observed at a time during peak migratory seasons at TAT-KM. Some 100 species of shorebirds and waterbirds were recorded between 2017 and 2021.
Among the species were five near-threatened birds, namely the Asian dowitcher, red-necked stint, bar-tailed godwit, black-tailed godwit and Eurasian curlew. Also observed were five endangered bird species, namely Nordmann's greenshank, great knot, Far-Eastern curlew, black-faced spoonbill and lesser adjutant.
One of the common shorebird visitors to TAT-KM is the curlew sandpiper, another near-threatened species.
The main threat to the shorebirds at TAT-KM is the conversion of mangroves into an aquaculture industrial zone.
Malaysia is blessed that TAT-KM is located within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), which stretches from the Russian Far East and Alaska, southwards through East Asia and Southeast Asia, to Australia and New Zealand, and encompasses 22 countries.
Currently, there are nine major flyways in the world, which migratory waterbirds traverse on an annual basis. A total of 50 million waterbirds use the EAAF, including 50 waterbird species and 28 endangered species.
Approximately 11 to 12 per cent of the global avian population use the EAAF. During migration, waterbirds rely on a system of highly productive wetlands to rest and feed, building up sufficient energy to fuel the next phase of their journey.
Many shorebirds migrate long distances and the world's longest non-stop flight was recorded by a bar-tailed godwit that travelled 11,700km from Alaska to New Zealand for eight days.
Shorebirds' diet during their migration is different than their diet in their breeding ground. During migration, they eat marine organisms such as crabs, worms and shrimp. In their breeding ground, they eat berries and insects.