Bird · GBIF taxon 2481745
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutillaThe Least Sandpiper is the smallest shorebird in its family, with yellow-green legs, a fine slightly downcurved bill, and brown finely scaled upperparts. It crouches at muddy edges and picks tiny prey from the surface rather than wading deeply.
Smallest SandpiperYellow-legged ShorebirdArctic Migrant
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Near ThreatenedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNear ThreatenedRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Amphipods
- Midge larvae
- Small snails
Predators
- Merlins
- Peregrine Falcons
- Arctic foxes
ThreatsWetland loss, shoreline development, disturbance at stopovers, contamination, sea-level rise, and climate change
HabitatsTundra bogs, freshwater mudflats, flooded fields, marsh edges, estuaries, lagoons, and sheltered coasts
Life spanOften several years, with banded individuals known to survive for more than a decade
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyScolopacidae
- SpeciesCalidris minutilla
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Stay outside mudflat feeding areas and never force a resting flock to relocate.
Responsible observation
- Size: Compare it with nearby sandpipers and note its especially small compact build.
- Legs: Yellow-green legs separate it from similar dark-legged small sandpipers.
- Distance: Use optics from firm ground without entering feeding or roosting habitat.
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