Bird species profile

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Scolopacidae

A closer look

Illustrated identification

Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus).  Illustration © Birding Puerto Madryn. View larger

About the species

A long-legged sandpiper with a fine, dark bill that bends slightly downwards near the tip. The pale eyebrow is conspicuous. Outside the breeding season, gray upperparts and pale underparts replace the strongly barred body and chestnut tones of breeding plumage.

Watch how it feeds: the bird often wades well into shallow water and repeatedly probes the soft bottom. Its long legs and probing action are useful identification clues alongside the plumage. This is a migratory shorebird that breeds in Arctic and subarctic North America.

In our region. A photograph documents this species at Reserva Natural Laguna de Puerto Madryn on 18 November 2022. It belongs in the regional catalogue as a documented visitor, rather than an assured sighting. Recent wetland conditions and observations matter when assessing a possible visit.

Habitat

On migration it mainly uses shallow freshwater wetlands, including ponds, marshes and flooded fields. Muddy margins and patches of shallow open water provide feeding areas.

Foraging

Searches mud and water for aquatic invertebrates, including insect larvae and small molluscs. It probes with the bill while walking slowly and sometimes picks prey from the surface.

Source

Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Stilt Sandpiper identification

Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Stilt Sandpiper life history

Gabriela Ayestarán — Stilt Sandpiper, Laguna de Puerto Madryn, 18 November 2022 (ML504967611; checklist S122628670)

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