Bécasseau roussâtre

Identification

This species is brown above and has a buff face and underparts in all plumages. It has a short bill and yellow legs. Males are larger than females. Juveniles resemble the adults but may be paler on the rear underparts.

Taxonomie

Genre : Calidris ; famille : Scolopacidae ; ordre : Charadriiformes.

Nom scientifique

Calidris subruficollis

Autorité

(Vieillot, 1819)

Ordre

Charadriiformes

Famille

Scolopacidés

Genre

Calidris

Répartition et habitat

C. subruficollis breeds in the open arctic tundra of North America and is a very long-distance migrant, spending the non-breeding season mainly in South America, especially Argentina.<p>It migrates mainly through central North America and is uncommon on the coasts. It occurs as a regular wanderer in Western Europe and is not classed as rare in Great Britain or Ireland, where small flocks have occurred. Only the pectoral sandpiper is a more common American shorebird visitor to Europe.<p>This species nests as far north as Canada including Alaska on the ground, laying four eggs. The male has a display which includes raising the wings to display the white undersides, which is also given on migration, sometimes when no other buff-breasted sandpipers are present. Outside the breeding season, this bird is normally found in short-grass habitats such as airfields or golf courses, rather than near water.<p>These birds pick up food by sight, mainly eating insects and other invertebrates. The buff-breasted sandpipers are known to prey on Bombus polaris, a species of bumblebee found within the Arctic Circle. They will either eat the bees or feed them to their young. They are often very tame.<p>Buff-breasted sandpipers are suspected to have hybridized with the white-rumped or Baird's sandpiper.<p>This species has been sighted in South Asia on at least three occasions. It is believed that instead of going to Argentina, this bird might have been wind-blown from the Great Plains Flyway of North America and landed up in South Asia. In November 2011, this species was sighted near Kannur, Kerala in South India. The buff-breasted sandpiper has also been recorded in Australia on at least eight occasions. It was recorded again from Madayipara, Kannur in 2023.<p>In 1978, Phillips recorded the species from Sri Lanka, and after that, very few sightings were recorded. In 2001 a single bird was also recorded in Marievale, South Africa.

Aire de reproduction

NA, PAL : high Arctic dry coastal tundra of far ne Palearctic and n Nearctic: n Chukotka e from Wrangel I. (n of ne Siberia), Alaskan North Slope from Pt. Barrow e through ne Canada, including Arctic is. from Banks to Devon is. (ne Canada)

Aire hors reproduction

se SA : coastal and inland grassland of subtropical s Neotropics: se Brazil, Uruguay and n, c Argentina; prone to extreme vagrancy worldwide

Migration

Migrateurs complets

Comportement

Mode de migration: Migrateurs complets.

Conservation

Tendance de la population: en déclin.

Tendance de la population

en déclin