Curlew Sandpiper - BirdForum Opus

Photo by youngbirder18
Titchwell Marsh, RSPB, UK, August 2005

Calidris ferruginea

Identification

19.5–21 cm
Black de-curved bill
Breeding adult

• Dark grey patterned above
• Brick red below

Non breeding adult

• Pale grey upperparts
• White underparts
• White supercilium

Breeding Plumage
Photo by swarovskiuser
Lesvos, April 2009

Juvenile

• Grey and brown back
• White belly
• Peachy breast

Similar Species

Winter adult can resemble Dunlin

Distribution

Arctic Siberia, wintering in Africa, south and southeast Asia and Australasia.

Taxonomy

Monotypic^[1]

Habitat

Tundra, marshes, muddy estuaries, salt pans

Behaviour

Photo by Neil
Hong Kong, China, April 2009

Diet

The diet includes snails, worms and flies.

Breeding

The nest is a ground scrape and 3-4 eggs are laid.

Vocalisation

Flight Call: chirrip (lower pitched than Temminck's Stint)

References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Wikipedia
3. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Curlew Sandpiper. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 9 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Curlew_Sandpiper

Vocalisation

<flashmp3>Calidris ferruginea (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program

External Links

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