Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 5.5–7.1 in
14–18 cm - Wingspan
- 13.8–15 in
35–38 cm - Weight
- 1–2.2 oz
27–63 g
Other Names
- Bécasseau de Baird, Maubéche de Baird (French)
- Correlimos de Baird, Playerito de Baird (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The migration of the Baird's Sandpiper is long but rapid. After departing high-arctic breeding grounds and staging in southern Canada and the northern United States, most individuals travel 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) or more directly to northern South America, some going on as far as Tierra del Fuego. Many individuals complete the entire 15,000 kilometer (9,300 mile) journey in as few as 5 weeks.
- The female Baird's Sandpiper lays a clutch of eggs that is up to 120% of her body mass in four days, shortly after arriving in the Arctic, with essentially no stored fat.
Habitat
Shore-line
Breeds in dry coastal and alpine tundra. Migrates and winters along mudflats, estuaries, grassy marshes, and dry grassy areas near lakes and ponds, rarely dry pastures and prairies away from water.
Food
Insects
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Condition at Hatching
- Active and covered with down.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Probing
Conservation
Least Concern
No evidence of significant population trends.
Credits
- Moskoff, W., and R. Montgomerie. 2002. Baird’s Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii). In The Birds of North America, No. 661 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.