Temminck's Stint

About the Temminck's Stint

Temminck's stint (Calidris temminckii) is a small wader native to the Old World. This bird's common name and Latin binomial commemorate the Dutch naturalist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds.

Within the genus Calidris, Temminck's stint is most closely related to the long-toed stint (Calidris subminuta). Temminck's stint is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

These birds are very small waders, at 13.5–15 cm (5.3–5.9 in) length. They are similar in size to the little stint (Calidris minuta) but shorter legged and longer winged. The legs are dull yellowish or brown, and the outer tail feathers white, in contrast to little stint's black legs and grey outer tail feathers.

This is a rather drab wader, with mainly plain brown upperparts and head, and underparts white apart from a darker breast. The breeding adult has some brighter rufous and/or blackish mantle feathers to relieve the generally undistinguished appearance. In winter plumage, the general appearance recalls a tiny... Wikipedia →