Baird's sandpiper
| Baird's sandpiper | |
|---|---|
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| In Iceland | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
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| Genus: | Calidris (disputed)
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| Species: | C. bairdii
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| Binomial name | |
| Calidris bairdii Coues, 1861
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| Global range Year-Round Range Summer Range Winter Range
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| Synonyms | |
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Actodromas bairdii | |
The Baird's sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) is a small shorebird. It is among those calidrids sometimes separated in Erolia.
Description
Adults have black legs and a short, straight, thin dark bill. They are dark brown on top and mainly white underneath with a black patch on the rump. The head and breast are light brown with dark streaks. In winter plumage, this species is paler brownish gray above. This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny shorebirds; these are known collectively as "peeps" or "stints".
One of the best identification features is the long wings, which extend beyond the tail when the bird is on the ground. Only the white-rumped sandpiper also shows this, and that bird can be distinguished by its namesake feature.
| Standard Measurements[2][3] | |
|---|---|
| length | 7–7.6 in (180–190 mm) |
| weight | 38 g (1.3 oz) |
| wingspan | 17 in (430 mm) |
| wing | 117.6–125.3 mm (4.63–4.93 in) |
| tail | 50–57 mm (2.0–2.2 in) |
| culmen | 20.5–24.5 mm (0.81–0.96 in) |
| tarsus | 21.3–24.2 mm (0.84–0.95 in) |
Ecology
Baird's sandpipers breed in the northern tundra from eastern Siberia to western Greenland. They nest on the ground, usually in dry locations with low vegetation.
They are a long distance migrant, wintering in South America. This species is a rare vagrant to western Europe.
Baird's sandpiper might have hybridized with the buff-breasted sandpiper.
These birds forage by moving about mudflats, picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects, also some small crustaceans.
This bird was named after Spencer Fullerton Baird, a 19th-century naturalist.
References
- ^ Template:IUCN
- ^ Godfrey, W. Earl (1966). The Birds of Canada. Ottawa: National Museum of Canada. p. 154.
- ^ Sibley, David Allen (2000). The Sibley Guide to Birds. New York: Knopf. p. 185. ISBN 0-679-45122-6.
External links
- An online identification article covering this species and other small calidrids at surfbirds.com
- "Calidris bairdii". Avibase.
- Baird's Sandpiper Species Account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- "Baird's Sandpiper media". Internet Bird Collection.
- Baird's Sandpiper photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- Interactive range map of Calidris bairdii at IUCN Red List maps