Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Calidris acuminata
Medium-sized sandpiper with distinct cap. Breeding adults are heavily marked with chevrons and spots on the underparts and have a rich chestnut cap and white eyeing. Nonbreeding adults are duller grayish-brown with a drab brown cap. Juveniles are brightest, with a plain buffy breast, bright cap, and contrasting white eyeline. At all ages, note dull greenish legs and variable paler color at the base of the bill. Similar to Pectoral Sandpiper, but Sharp-tailed is usually brighter (breeding adults and juveniles especially) and lacks a sharp demarcation between streaked breast and white belly. Primarily an Asian species, breeding on tundra in Russia and wintering to Australia and New Zealand. Regular migrant in Alaska; rare to Pacific coast of U.S. and Canada. Found in freshwater marshes and coastal mudflats, sometimes inland. Listen for excited “peep!” calls, often doubled, and other soft twitters.
Identification
A small-medium wader, the portly sandpiper has a pot belly, flat back and somewhat drawn-out rear end. It has a mottled chestnut-brown upper body with sharp-looking feathers with a dark centre, a chestnut cap on its head and a brown stripe through each eye. Its bill is dark grey to black and straight, and its legs are olive- to yellow-coloured. The underparts are white or paler in colour, with the mottling similar to that on the breast and sides of the belly. The plumage is duller during wintering and more vivid during the breeding season. The juveniles are brighter in colour during wintering than adults, with sharper feathers and brighter chestnut-coloured crowns contrasting with the white mantle stripes and bright, buffy chests.<p>A similar-looking species is the pectoral sandpiper, within whose Asian range the sharp-tailed sandpiper breeds. It differs from that species in its breast pattern, stronger supercilium, and more chestnut-coloured crown. It has some similarities to the long-toed stint, but is much larger.
Taxonomy
The genus name calidris comes from the Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific acuminata is from Latin acuminatus, 'sharp, pointed'.<p>It had previously been suggested that the sharp-tailed sandpiper should perhaps be placed into the genus Philomachus – as P. acuminatus – which contains the ruff, however this proposed change has yet to receive widespread acceptance.
- Scientific name
- Calidris acuminata
- Authority
- (Horsfield, 1821)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Calidris
Range and habitat
In Siberia the breeding ground is mostly tundra made up of peat-hummock and lichen. On passage between breeding and wintering areas they favor the muddy edges of shallow freshwater or brackish wetlands with grass, emergent or inundated sedges, saltmarsh or other low vegetation. These include swamps, lakes, lagoons, and pools near coasts, waterholes, dams, saltpans and hypersaline salt lakes inland. In Alaska they seem to prefer coastal moist graminoid meadows and riverine intertidally exposed mudbanks. In Australia they are largely found around wetlands, preferring freshwater inland wetlands with grassy edges. Once the ephemeral terrestrial wetlands have dried out, they tend to be seen on coastal mudflats, salt marsh and brackish lagoons and less often on similar wet fields of short grass. Other areas they have been spotted in Australia include around sewage farms, flooded fields, mangroves, rocky shores and beaches.
- Breeding range
- PAL : low Arctic to subarctic tundra of ne Palearctic: Lena to Kolyma rivers (ne Siberia)
- Non-breeding range
- AU : coastal and inland Wallacea, New Guinea, Australia, Melanesia, New Zealand and Fiji (sw Polynesia); prone to extreme vagrancy to North America and Europe
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Anthocephala berlepschi
Small hummingbird mostly confined to Colombia’s central Andes, also reaching the eastern Andes in the southern part of the country. Both sexes have a large, white teardrop behind the eye and pale tips to the tail. Male has a chestnut crown that becomes white where it reaches the bill. Inhabits cloud forest and feeds on small flowers at low levels. Sometimes gives a series of soft chips while perched.
Yellow-throated Bulbul
Pycnonotus xantholaemus
Plain, pale brownish bulbul. Endemic to very specialized habitat in South India. Only found in hills with dry rocky scrub and boulders, co-occurring locally with the more widespread White-browed Bulbul throughout its range. Although both species have a yellow vent and can sound similar, Yellow-throated can be distinguished by its yellow head that contrasts with its whitish underparts. Usually occurring in pairs, it tends to rove along regular circuits, often perching on exposed rocks and boulders. Voice like White-browed’s, but more melodious and higher in pitch.
Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus remifer
An ebony shadow trailing obsidian tresses. Medium-sized drongo with two extravagantly long tail feathers tipped with plumes, the shape of which vary throughout its range. Glossy black overall with red eyes. Juvenile duller and lacks streamers. Can be confused with the larger Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, but Lesser is crestless and oddly flat-headed, with a more square-ended tail. Inhabits mid- to high-altitude tropical forests, where it forages primarily under closed canopies, not venturing out into the open as frequently as Greater Racket-tailed. Joins mixed flocks. Impressive vocal range, giving highly variable songs that include bouncy hoots, ringing whistles, and harsh nasal notes, among others; also mimics other species.
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