SINAGOTE, THE BIOGRAPHY OF A SPOONBILL *

This book tells the story of a spoonbill we have called Sinagote, a female bird born on the island of Vlieland, in the Netherlands. In her name she carries the words ‘Sina’, the Breton name of the village in Britanny she returns to every autumn, and ‘gote’ which means ‘girl from’.

This story is about more spoonbills than just Sinagote. It’s even about much more than spoonbills and the connections between them. It’s also about the connections between countries in Europe and Africa, between the people who live and work there, who have an affection for spoonbills and work for their well-being. Part love story, part success story, Sinagote, the biography of a spoonbill describes the importance of looking beyond our national borders in the protection of migratory birds.

With the involvement of more than 9000 citizen scientists and the volunteers of the Spoonbill Working Group, the Dutch research on spoonbills along the East Atlantic migratory route is considered authoritative. Based on work at the University of Groningen, the NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, the University of Amsterdam and the Netherlands’ State Forest Service, and together with amateur photographer Michiel Muller, this is a passionately told story.