Red-necked Stint

Overview

Red-necked Stint: Small sandpiper with mottled brown upperparts and streaked cap. Underparts are white; upper breast is rust-brown and spotted. Face and throat are unstreaked rust-brown. Bill, legs and feet are black. Forages on shore, sometimes probes mud. Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Red-necked Stint: Breeds on tundra in arctic northeast Siberia; migrates through Siberia, Mongolia, China, Japan, and southeast Asia to Australia. Preferred habitats include saline sand bars and tidal mudflats along coasts.

INTERESTING FACTS

Red-necked Stints are among the smallest of waders.
They are very similar to the Little Stint, with which they were once considered conspecific.
A group of stints are collectively known as a "spell" of stints.

The Red-necked Stint is a small, migratory wading bird. Typical breeding grounds may be found in Arctic tundra regions of eastern Europe and Asia, and non-breeding seasons are spent in southeastern Asia, Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. This species may also rarely be found in western Europe, but is often found in western Alaska and in the Americas. Nests are built on the ground, and Red-necked Stints form small flocks while migrating. They forage for food such as insects and small invertebrates in grassland and soft mud. The current conservation rating for the Red-necked Stint remains at Least Concern.