White-rumped Sandpiper
Calidris fuscicollis
This bird performs one of the longest migrations of any shorebird, traveling over 8,000 miles from the High Arctic to southern South America twice a year.
- Scientific name
- Calidris fuscicollis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Scolopacidae › Calidris
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Arctic tundra for breeding; coastal mudflats, estuaries, and flooded grasslands during migration and wintering.
- Diet
- Invertebrates including aquatic insects, larvae, small mollusks, and crustaceans; occasionally seeds.
- Range
- Arctic North America, South American Southern Cone, Atlantic Coastline, Great Plains
- Size
- Length: 15-20 cm; Wingspan: 38-43 cm; Weight: 35-45g
- Lifespan
- 5-7 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Climate change affecting Arctic breeding grounds, habitat loss at stopover sites, and pollution in coastal wetlands.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Observe from a distance with binoculars to avoid disturbing their vital feeding or resting periods during migration. Do not approach or chase birds on mudflats as they must conserve energy for 8,000-mile flights.
The white-rumped sandpiper ( Calidris fuscicollis ) is a small shorebird that breeds in the northern tundra of Canada and Alaska. This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny shorebirds; these are known collectively as "peeps" or "stints".
Photo: Quinten Wiegersma, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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