Little Stint

Calidris minutaOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Codes: Common Name: LIST Scientific Name: CALMIA ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176670

Breeding Location:

Tundra

Breeding Type:

Colonial, Serial polygamy

Breeding Population:

Accidental to casual

Egg Color:

Olive green or yellow with red brown spots

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

21 - 23

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Lined with willow and dwarf birch leaves.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Little Stint: Medium-sized sandpiper with scaled-brown upperparts and white underparts. Face, neck, and breast are rust-brown with black spots. Back has white lines that form a distinctive V pattern in flight. Legs are black. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has dull brown upperparts and gray-brown streaks on white underparts. Juvenile has chestnut-brown wash on head and back.

Range and Habitat

Little Stint: Eurasian species. Breeds from Norway to Russian border, winters in Saharan Africa and India; also reported from Canada. Breeds on coastal and island tundra, often with willow scrub; found on sandy beaches, mudflats, and estuaries during winter.

Breeding and Nesting

Little Stint: Four olive green or yellow eggs spotted with red brown are laid in a ground scrape lined with willow and dwarf birch leaves. Incubation ranges from 21 to 23 days and is carried out by both parents; may incubate two clutches simultaneously. Young fly at 15 to18 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Little Stint: Feeds mainly on insects; also eats crustaceans and mollusks.

Vocalization

Little Stint: Call is a "chit" or "tit", repeated about three times.

Similar Species

Little Stint: Sanderling is larger and paler. Temminck's Stint has yellow-green legs.

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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.

Little Stint

Little Stint: Medium sandpiper, scaled-brown upperparts, white underparts. Face, neck, breast are rust-brown with black spots. The back has white lines that form a V pattern in flight. Black bill, legs, feet. Feeds by pecking at surface and probing mud with bill. Direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Song: "chit", "tit"

● Foraging & Feeding: Little Stint: Feeds mainly on insects; also eats crustaceans and mollusks.

● Breeding & nesting: Little Stint: Four olive green or yellow eggs spotted with red brown are laid in a ground scrape lined with willow and dwarf birch leaves. Incubation ranges from 21 to 23 days and is carried out by both parents; may incubate two clutches simultaneously. Young fly at 15 to18 days.

● Similar species: Little Stint: Sanderling is larger and paler. Temminck's Stint has yellow-green legs.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Little Stint: Eurasian species. Breeds from Norway to Russian border, winters in Saharan Africa and India; also reported from Canada. Breeds on coastal and island tundra, often with willow scrub; found on sandy beaches, mudflats, and estuaries during winter.

^BreedingColonial, Serial polygamy

^PopulationAccidental to casual

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.8 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

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

Little Stint

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Little Stint

Flight Pattern