Calidris acuminata
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, *Calidris acuminata*, is a medium-sized shorebird, typically measuring 17-22 cm in length with a wingspan of 36-40 cm and weighing 35-70 grams. Its most distinctive field marks include a sharply defined, yellowish-buff breast that is heavily streaked, contrasting with a clean white belly, and a prominent supercilium that often broadens behind the eye. Breeding plumage features a rufous crown and ear coverts, with a boldly patterned, dark-streaked back and rich buff...
Breeds on Arctic tundra and sedge meadows, often near freshwater pools and bogs. Winters in coastal and inland wetlands, including estuaries, mudflats, and flooded grasslands, typically at low elevations.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates such as insect larvae, adult insects, and small crustaceans. Also consumes some plant material like seeds during the non-breeding season.
Sharp-tailed Sandpipers are primarily diurnal, foraging actively during the day and roosting communally in large flocks, especially during migration and winter. They employ a 'pecking' and 'probing' foraging strategy, often walking slowly and deliberately, pausing to peck at the surface or probe ...
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper has an extensive migratory range, breeding exclusively in the high Arctic tundra of eastern Siberia, Russia, from the Yamal Peninsula eastward across the Lena River delta to the Chukotka Peninsula. After breeding, it undertakes a monumental southward migration primarily...
Least Concern
- The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper undertakes one of the longest migratory journeys of any bird, breeding in Arctic Siberia and wintering as far south as Australia and New Zealand. - It is one of the few shorebird species to exhibit a lek-like breeding system, where males gather to display to females w...