Calidris mauri
The Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) is a diminutive shorebird, measuring 14-17 cm (5.5-6.7 in) in length with a wingspan of 31-35 cm (12.2-13.8 in) and weighing a mere 20-30 grams. In breeding plumage, it sports rufous coloration on its scapulars and crown, streaky underparts, and a distinctive dark cap, while non-breeding adults appear plainer gray above and white below. A key field mark is its relatively long, slightly drooped black bill, which helps differentiate it from its closest rel...
This species primarily breeds on barren Arctic tundra; outside the breeding season, it favors coastal mudflats, sandy beaches, estuaries, and salt marshes, generally at low elevations.
Their diet primarily consists of small marine invertebrates, such as polychaete worms, amphipods, and mollusks in wintering and migratory habitats, supplemented by insect larvae, flies, and beetles on breeding grounds. They primarily forage by probing rapidly into soft substrates.
Western Sandpipers are primarily diurnal, often foraging during daylight hours and roosting communally in large flocks at high tide or during darkness. Their characteristic foraging strategy, often described as a "sewing machine" action, involves rapidly probing their bills into soft mud or sand,...
The Western Sandpiper breeds primarily in the Alaskan Arctic and eastern Siberian Arctic, including the Chukchi Peninsula, Alaska North Slope, Yukon, and Northwest Territories. Following the breeding season, they undertake extensive migrations, with a vast wintering range along both the Pacific a...
Least Concern
- The Western Sandpiper is the smallest sandpiper species known to breed in Alaska. - Its bill length and the characteristic slightly drooped tip are key field marks, differentiating it from the very similar Semipalmated Sandpiper. - During migration, this species can survive and even thrive on a...