Reflections of the Natural World

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ABOUT THIS SPECIES

LEAST SANDPIPER – (Species Account Blog #65)

TAXONOMIC TREE:  

• ORDER: Charadriiformes,
• FAMILY: Scolopacidae,
• BINOMIAL NAME: Calidris minutilla

Least Sandpipers are the smallest of the small sandpipers known as “peeps”—not much bigger than a sparrow. They have distinctive yellow-green legs and a high-pitched creep call. Look for them on edges of mudflats or marshes, where they walk with a hunched posture and probe for little crustaceans, insects, and other invertebrates. This common but declining shorebird migrates thousands of miles between its arctic breeding grounds and wintering grounds as far south as Chile and Brazil. (from Birds of the World)

SIMILAR SPECIES

In all plumages, distinguished from Western Sandpipers by overall browner (darker) appearance, smaller size and shorter legs, shorter bill, and yellowish legs (but mud may hide color). In nonbreeding plumage, may be confused with other similarly sized sandpipers (Western Sandpiper comparison below), but whiteness of plumage (especially white face) separate out the Western.

DISTRIBUTION

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PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES

In Costa Rica we observed Least Sandpipers while on the boat tour at the mouth of the Tárcoles River.

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PHOTO GALLERY

**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.

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RECENT BLOG POSTS

View the five most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.

• A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
• PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding