Bird name:

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Code 4

LESA

Code 6

CALMIL

ITIS

176656

Breeding Location:

Seashore, rocky or sandy, Coastal ponds, Marshes

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Olive pink or buff with dark brown spots

Number of Eggs:

3 - 4

Incubation Days:

19 - 23

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Lined with grasses and moss.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Least Sandpiper: Small sandpiper with brown-scaled upperparts and rust-brown crown. Breast and throat are dark-spotted; belly and undertail are white. Wings have thin, white stripes visible in flight. Black line on rump extends onto tail. Legs and feet are yellow. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has white "V" on back.

Range and Habitat

Least Sandpiper: Breeds from Alaska to Labrador and, in the east, south to Nova Scotia and, recently, Massachusetts. Spends winters from the southern U.S. to central South America and the West Indies. Frequents sandy beaches and exposed tidal flats.

Breeding and Nesting

Least Sandpiper: Three or four dark brown-spotted, olive pink or buff eggs are laid in a ground depression lined with grass and moss. Incubation ranges from 19 to 23 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Least Sandpiper: Feeds on insects, seeds, and aquatic invertebrates; also eats crustaceans, marine worms, and mollusks on the coast. Usually feeds in a communal area distant from nesting grounds; forages by gleaning and probing on mudflats and beaches.

Vocalization

Least Sandpiper: When threatened, gives rapid, high, and giggling "dididididi" call. Fight call is a high, trilled, musical "preeep" or "pree-rreeep." When calling, the note is a shrill, high, "kree." During displays, a series of rising "b-b-b-tree-treeee-treee" notes are given.

Similar Species

Least Sandpiper: Semipalmated Sandpiper is slightly larger, has grayer upperparts, and black legs and feet.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America