"Saving Spoonie" is a German documentary film directed and written by Till Harms. Gundi Goldhammer narrates the film.

The film follows a group of international ornithologists who are working to protect the spoon-billed sandpiper, a species threatened with extinction. The nickname “Spoonie,” which gives the film its title, refers to the bird’s distinctive beak, which resembles a spoon.

Ornithologist Dr. Christoph Zöckler has made it his life’s work to save the spoon-billed sandpiper from extinction. As the population of this small bird—which has a strange penchant for autocratic countries—continues to decline, Christopher and his fellow researchers face ever-new challenges around the world. The nearly hopeless situation turns them into tragic heroes in the fight against the world’s man-made problems.

"Saving Spoony" chronicles the efforts to save the spoon-billed sandpiper as a tragicomedy about the dignity of failure—or why it might not be a failure after all.

The spoon-billed sandpiper’s population has been in sharp decline for years, and the species is now considered critically endangered. The reasons for this include habitat loss and hunting along coastlines. A group of international ornithologists, including the German Christoph Zöckler, wants to save “Spoonie” and is forming an international task force for this purpose. The spoon-billed sandpiper’s migration route runs along the Russian coast, through North Korea and China, all the way to Myanmar, presenting the ornithologists with not only conservation challenges but also political ones.

Filming locations: China (Shenzhen, Beijing); Norderney, Baden-Württemberg, Great Britain (Slimbridge)

The film is rated G.

Director: Till Harms
Screenplay: Till Harms
Cast: Spoonie (Watvogel), Christoph Zöckler