Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.
Photo: Purnell Collection © Australian Museum
Distribution map of Calidris acuminata
Map © Birds Australia Birdata
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Scientific name: Calidris acuminata
Family: Scolopacidae
Order: Charadriiformes
- Featured Bird Groups
- Shore birds and waders
What does it look like?
Description
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is a medium sized wader with a straight black bill that has an olive-grey base. It has a chestnut crown and nape, a white eyebrow, and reddish brown upperparts, with each feather having a black centre. The rump and tail are black, with white outer margins visible in flight. The wings have an indistinct white bar. The breast and flanks are white, streaked and speckled black, with a reddish brown tinge on the chest, grading into a white belly and undertail. The legs are olive. This species is commonly seen with other waders during its migration from northern breeding grounds.
Similar species
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is very similar to most other sandpipers, especially the Pectoral Sandpiper, C. melanotos, but may be distinguished from this species by having no clearcut division between the breast and belly markings, olive (rather than yellow) legs, and a chestnut (rather than dark) head.
Where does it live?
Distribution
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is a summer migrant from Arctic Siberia, being found on wetlands throughout Australia. It is also found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and New Zealand. It is a vagrant to India, Europe, western North America, Fiji and other parts of the central Pacific region.
Habitat
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper prefers the grassy edges of shallow inland freshwater wetlands. It is also found around swage farms, flooded fields, mudflats, mangroves, rocky shores and beaches. Its breeding habitat in Siberia is the peat-hummock and lichen tundra of the high Arctic.
Seasonal movements
Strongly migratory, arriving in Australia in August, returning to Siberia in March, with greatest numbers in south-eastern Australia.
What does it do?
Feeding
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper feeds on aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as worms, molluscs, crustaceans and sometimes, seeds. It is often found in large flocks, often with other waders, foraging in shallow waters.
Breeding
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper breeds in the short Siberian summer (June to August). Its nest is a well-hidden shallow hollow on the ground, lined with grass and leaves. The female incubates the eggs and raises the young alone.
References
Pringle, J.D. 1987. The Shorebirds of Australia. Angus and Robertson and the National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife, Sydney.
Morcombe, M. 2000. Field guide to Australian Birds. Steve Parish Publishing.
Simpson, K and Day, N. 1999. Field guide to the birds of Australia, 6th Edition. Penguin Books, Australia.