top of page

Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Shorebirds and Allies (Order Charadriiformes)

-Sandpipers and Allies (Family Scolopacidae)

-Calidris Sandpipers (Genus Calidri)

-Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)


This is the sandpiper most likely to be seen on small bodies of water inland. On sandy riverbanks, lake shores, and edges of sewage treatment ponds, little flocks of Least Sandpipers fly up to circle the area and then settle again, giving thin, reedy cries as they go. Forages for crustaceans, insects and snails, mostly by walking slowly and picking up tiny items from surface of ground. Sometimes probes in mud for food.

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Diet

  • Primarily small aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, including insects, insect larvae, spiders, worms, snails, small crustaceans, and other tiny invertebrates.

  • Also consumes small seeds and other plant material, especially during migration and winter.

  • Forages by walking through shallow water or mud, picking prey from the surface with its slender bill.

Range

  • Breeds across Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States.

  • Winters from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and much of South America.

  • A common winter visitor to the Zihuatanejo region, where it occurs in marshes, mudflats, estuaries, freshwater ponds, flooded fields, and coastal lagoons.

  • Often found in mixed flocks with other small shorebirds.

Male / Female

  • Male: Slightly smaller than the female and, in breeding plumage, often shows somewhat brighter rufous tones on the upperparts.

  • Female: Slightly larger with a proportionally longer bill.

  • Non-breeding season: Both sexes appear nearly identical and are difficult to distinguish in the field.

Size

  • Length: 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in)

  • Wingspan: 27–32 cm (10.6–12.6 in)

  • Weight: 19–30 g

bottom of page