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Stilt Sandpiper

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

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The Stilt Sandpiper is a slender sandpiper named for its long, stilt-like greenish-yellow legs; it has a long neck and a slightly drooping bill. It breeds on the tundra of northern Alaska and Canada and winters mainly in central South America, pausing at muddy freshwater pools on the way. Breeding adults are boldly barred below with rufous on the head, while non-breeding birds are plain grey with a white eyebrow. It is a very rare vagrant to Europe.

Did you know?

  • Genetic studies moved it from its own genus, Micropalama, into Calidris, where its closest relative is the Curlew Sandpiper.
  • In flight it shows a white rump but no obvious wing bar.

About the species

Identification

A sandpiper of 18–23 cm with a slim build, long neck, slightly curved bill, pale overall tone and long yellow-green legs. Told from Curlew Sandpiper by its clearly longer, paler legs; in flight it shows a white rump but no clear wing bar. The sexes are alike.

Family

Scolopacidae

Size

Medium (thrush)

Colours

grey, white, brown

About the habitat

Breeds on open Arctic tundra; on migration and in winter muddy margins of freshwater pools, marshes and flooded fields rather than open coasts.

Diet

Mainly insects and their larvae and other invertebrates such as molluscs, as well as seeds and parts of aquatic plants.

Behaviour

Often feeds in belly-deep water with rapid, sewing-machine-like jabbing, frequently alongside dowitchers. Nests on the ground on the tundra, and males perform display flights. Outside the breeding season it gathers in flocks at inland freshwater sites.

Sources

Photo: Dan Pancamo, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stilt Sandpiper by Dan Pancamo.jpg

Text: Wikipedia (English), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilt_sandpiper

See also