Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Calidris acuminata, is a small to medium-sized migratory wader, characterized by its somewhat portly appearance with a pot belly, flat back, and elongated rear. During the breeding season, its plumage becomes more vivid, showcasing a chestnut cap and a brown eye stripe, while its upper body is adorned with mottled chestnut-brown feathers, each sharply defined with a dark center. The bill is a dark grey to black and straight, and the legs range from olive to yellow. The underparts are paler, with mottling that echoes the patterns on the breast and sides of the belly.

Identification Tips

To distinguish the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper from similar species, note its distinctive breast pattern, strong supercilium, and more chestnut-colored crown. Juveniles are brighter than adults during winter, with more pronounced white mantle stripes and buffy chests.

Habitat

The breeding habitat in Siberia consists of tundra with peat-hummock and lichen. During migration, they prefer muddy edges of shallow freshwater or brackish wetlands with grass, sedges, or low vegetation. In Australia, they are often found around freshwater inland wetlands with grassy edges.

Distribution

The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper breeds exclusively in eastern Siberia and winters primarily in Australasia. They migrate via complex routes, with adults leaving Siberia in July and juveniles in August. The species is also an occasional autumn migrant to North America and a very rare migrant to western Europe.

Breeding

Breeding occurs from June to August in Siberia. Nests are shallow, lined hollows on the ground, camouflaged within the landscape. Clutches typically contain four eggs, with the female responsible for incubation and chick-rearing.

Similar Species

The Pectoral Sandpiper is similar in appearance but can be differentiated by its breast pattern and supercilium. The Long-toed Stint also shares some resemblance but is significantly smaller than the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.

Diet and Feeding

Sharp-tailed Sandpipers forage at the edges of wetlands and intertidal mudflats, consuming aquatic insects, molluscs, crustaceans, worms, and occasionally seeds and other invertebrates.

Conservation Status

As of 2021, the IUCN lists the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper as Vulnerable, with an estimated population of 60,000 to 120,000 mature individuals. The species faces threats from habitat loss and degradation, human disturbance, and increased mortality from hunting and predation.