Little Stint
Calidris minuta
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyScolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
- GenusCalidris (Calidris Sandpipers)
- SpeciesCalidris minuta (Little Stint)
About the Little Stint
The little stint (Calidris minuta) is a very small wader. It breeds in arctic Europe and Asia, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to Africa and south Asia. It occasionally is a vagrant to North America and to Australia. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific minuta is Latin for "small.
Its small size, fine dark bill, dark legs and quicker movements distinguish this species from all waders except the other dark-legged stints. It can be distinguished from these in all plumages by its combination of a fine bill tip, unwebbed toes and long primary projection. The call is a sharp "stit".
The breeding adult has an orange wash to the breast, a white throat and a strong white V on its back. In winter plumage identification is difficult. Juveniles have pale crown stripes and a pinkish breast. An apparent hybrid between this species and Temminck's stint has been reported from the Netherlands.
The numbers of this species (and of curlew sandpiper) depend on the population of lemmings. In poor lemming years, predatory species such as skuas and... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Little Stint in Table Mountain National Park
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Sanderling
Calidris alba
Baird's Sandpiper
Calidris bairdii
Pectoral Sandpiper
Calidris melanotos
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferruginea
Ruff
Calidris pugnax
Upland Sandpiper
Bartramia longicauda
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponica
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
African Snipe
Gallinago nigripennis
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Little Stint in Table Mountain National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Little Stint sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Little Stint in Table Mountain National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Little Stint in Table Mountain National Park in our monthly data.