Curlew Sandpipers.
Photo: Purnell Collection © Australian Museum
Distribution map of Calidris ferruginea
Map © Birds Australia Birdata
Curlew Sandpiper
Scientific name: Calidris ferruginea
Family: Scolopacidae
Order: Charadriiformes
- Featured Bird Groups
- Shore birds and waders
What does it look like?
Description
The Curlew Sandpiper is a small to medium-sized wader (migratory shorebird). It has a long, black bill with a down-curved end and black legs and feet. In its non-breeding plumage, it is grey-brown above, white below, with a white wing bar visible in flight. In breeding plumage, it is bright reddish brown below and the wings are barred black.
Similar species
The similar Red Knot, Calidris canutus, is larger and has a straight bill.
Where does it live?
Distribution
The Curlew Sandpiper is a common summer migrant from north-eastern Siberia and Alaska, found in many Australian coastal sites and may also be seen inland in suitable habitats. It is most common in the far south-east and north-west of Australia. It is also found in Africa, across southern Asia to Indonesia and New Guinea, and in New Zealand.
Habitat
The Curlew Sandpiper is found on intertidal mudflats of estuaries, lagoons, mangroves, as well as beaches, rocky shores and around lakes, dams and floodwaters. Its breeding habitat is the lowland tundra of Siberia.
Seasonal movements
The Curlew Sandpiper is a migratory species from the Northern Hemisphere, moving south to Australia, Africa, the Persian Gulf, India and South-east Asia. It arrives in September and returns in April. Some birds, usually juveniles, overwinter in Australia. According to the Australian Wader Studies Group (AWSG), a flagged (marked with a tag) Curlew Sandpiper was sighted in Sri Lanka on 20 August 2005. This is the first Australian wader ever to be reported from that country and suggests that the migration route of this species extends further west than originally thought.
What does it do?
Feeding
The Curlew Sandpiper feeds on insects and their larvae when breeding. Otherwise, it feeds on small marine invertebrates, especially polychaete worms.
Breeding
The Curlew Sandpiper breeds in the northern summer in Siberia and Alaska. The female builds the nest, incubates the eggs and raises the young alone. The exposed nest is a shallow depression on a ridge in the lowland tundra.
Living with us
Living with humans
All waders are affected by coastal development, including drainage and land-clearing in their preferred habitats.
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.