Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Calidris acuminata
At a Glance
This Asian shorebird is related to our Pectoral Sandpiper, and like that species is it a long-distance migrant, traveling from Siberia to Australia and New Zealand. A few reach North America every year, mostly fall migrants in Alaska and the Pacific northwest; a casual stray in other areas, rare in spring.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Sandpiper-like Birds, Sandpipers
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Coasts and Shorelines, Freshwater Wetlands, Saltwater Wetlands, Tundra and Boreal Habitats
Region
Alaska and The North, California, Northwest, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight, Rapid Wingbeats, Running
Population
160.000
Range & Identification
Description
8 1/2" (22 cm). Most seen in North America are fall juveniles. Size and shape of Pectoral Sandpiper but bright rich buff on chest (with very few streaks), reddish on cap, more obvious eye-ring. Adults very similar to Pectoral but with arrow-shaped marks extending down flanks.
Size
About the size of a Robin
Color
Black, Brown, Gray, Red, Tan, White, Yellow
Wing Shape
Pointed, Tapered
Tail Shape
Rounded, Short, Square-tipped, Wedge-shaped
Songs and Calls
A sharp whit-whit.
Sign up for Audubon's newsletter to learn more about birds like the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper