Long-toed Stint

Calidris subminuta

Family: Sandpipers and Allies · Status: Rare migrant · Size: 14–16 cm · Conservation: Least Concern

Range

Breeds in central and eastern Siberia. Winters in the Indian subcontinent, East Asia, and Australia.

Identification

Small wader resembling Red-necked and Little Stints but somewhat longer-necked, finer-billed, and more slender-bodied. Legs and feet yellowish and distinctively long. Breeding adult and juvenile have rufous crown with dark streaks and upperparts broadly fringed rufous; neck sides and breast washed creamy-buff and dark-streaked; underparts white. Pattern recalls the much larger Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Non-breeding adult plain mousy brown above, pale below.

Habitat

Freshwater marshes, wet paddy fields, salt pans, coastal pools; rarely mudflats.

Behaviour

Often feeds amongst vegetation, probing the ground. Feeds on molluscs, crustaceans, insects, and other invertebrates.