Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 5.1–5.9 in
13–15 cm - Wingspan
- 10.6–11 in
27–28 cm - Weight
- 0.7–1.1 oz
19–30 g
Other Names
- Bécasseau minuscule (French)
- Correlimos menudo, Minutilla blanca, Playero (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Least Sandpiper is the smallest shorebird in the world.
- Although it is a relatively numerous shorebird, the Least Sandpiper tends to occur in flocks of dozens or hundreds, rather than thousands like some other sandpipers. It also tends to forage at the upper edge of mudflats or along drier margins of inland ponds than other related small sandpipers.
Habitat
Marsh
Breeds in mossy or wet grassy tundra, occasionally in drier areas with scattered scrubby bushes. Migrates and winters in wet meadows, mudflats, flooded fields, shores of pools and lakes, and, less frequently, sandy beaches.
Food
Insects
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Condition at Hatching
- Active and covered with down.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Probing
Conservation
Least Concern
Common. Populations appear stable.
Credits
- Cooper, J. M. 1994. Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla). In The Birds of North America, No. 115 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ Union.