Sharp-tailed Sandpiper - BirdForum Opus

Calidris acuminata

Photo © by jvhigbee
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, USA, November 2003

Identification

17-22 cm (6¾-8¾ in)
Adult summer

• Rich brown upperparts with darker feather centres
• White underparts
• Streaked buff upper breast
• Dark chevrons on breast sides, flanks and undertail coverts
• White supercilium
• Chestnut crown
• White eyering

Photo © by Ken Doy
Kedron Brook Wetlands, Brisbane, Queensland, September 2017

Grey upperparts in winter
Juveniles:

• Orange-buff breast
• Narrow streaky band on neck
• Rufous cap

Similar Species

Pectoral Sandpiper

Distribution

Breeds in northeast Siberia, and winters in Australasia and Polynesia.

Rare vagrant to Britain and Ireland.

Taxonomy

Juvenile
Photo © by Ken Doy
Sandy Camp Rd Wetlands, Queensland, Australia, November 2018

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

Breeds on tundra. Feeds on grassy edges of shallow inland freshwater wetlands. They are also found around sewage farms, flooded fields, mudflats, mangroves, rocky shores and beaches.

Behaviour

Breeding

They nest on the ground.

Diet

Their varied diet consists of aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as worms, molluscs, crustaceans, snails and seeds.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Sept 2017)
3. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Sharp-tailed_Sandpiper

External Links

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