Little Stint

Photo by nigelblake
Location: Titchwell, Norfolk, UK

Calidris minuta

Identification

12-14 cm Bill - short, thin with fine tip. Legs - black. Plumage: Adult mottled brown above and white below in summer, mottled grey above in winter. Juvenile similar with an obvious white double V on the back. Supercilium divides just above the eye, dark loral patch and ear coverts. Diffuse brown streaking to neck and breast. Primary projection long, usually 2-3 primary tips visible beyond the tertials. In flight shows a white wing bar and white margins to the rump. Sexes are similar.

Similar Species

Photo by postcardcv
Mixed flock of Dunlin and little stint. Titchwell, Norfolk, UK

Red-necked Stint Slightly larger with somewhat shorter legs. Bill tends to be blunt-tipped.

Primary projection not as long.

Western Sandpiper Bigger with longer legs, bill long and decurved, looks slimmer than Little Stint.

Dunlin Bigger again than Little Stint, plumages similar mix of browns above and white below,

in summer the black belly is obvious. Bill is longer and decurved.

Distribution

Breeds in far northern Europe and Asia. Winters in Africa and South Asia.

Casual vagrant to north eastern United States and also to Australia.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

Coastal and island tundra, sandy beaches, mudflats, and estuaries.

Behaviour

Breeding

It nests on a bare ground scrape laying 3-5 eggs. Male and female may incubate separate clutches.

Diet

Diet includes small invertebrates picked off the mud.

Vocalisation

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

References

#Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/

External Links

Search for photos of Little Stint in the gallery

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