Little Stint

Little Stint
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Calidris minuta

Malay Name: Kedidi-Kerdil Perang

Chinese Name: 小滨鹬

Range: Breeds in the northern Palearctic, winters in Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. Vagrant to southeast Asia.

Taxonomy: Monotypic.

Size: 14-15.5 cm

Identification: Good views are required to differentiate this species from the very similar Red-necked Stint; compared to that species, Little has longer legs (with longer exposed tibia) and bill, distinct split supercilium (apparent in photographs), and darker central crown.

Similar looking species: Red-necked Stint, Temminck's Stint, Long-toed Stint, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper

Habitat: Mudflats and sandflats.

Behaviour/Ecology: Similar to Red-necked, feeds by rapid probing and pecking.

Local Status: Vagrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2019)

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Little Stint Calidris minuta
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024 (all records)
Peak week Sep 17-Sep 23
Early date 21 Sep 2017
Late date 13 Dec 2020
The only two records of this rare wader in Singapore have come since 2017. Difficulty in separation from Red-necked Stint is a significant challenge in identifying individuals of this species.
Little Stint from Sri Lanka. Photo credit: Keita Sin

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Little Stint)

References:

BirdLife International. (2019). Calidris minuta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22693379A138406063.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Bakewell, D. (2017). Finally, Singapore’s first Little Stints! Dig deep. Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://digdeep1962.wordpress.com/2017/10/17/finally-singapores-first-little-stints/.

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Little Stint. Retrieved on April 13, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/little-stint.

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