Least Sandpiper

Overview

Least Sandpiper: Small sandpiper, brown-scaled upperparts, rust-brown crown. Breast, throat are dark-spotted; belly, undertail are white. Wings have thin, white stripes visible in flight. Black line on rump extends onto tail. Legs and feet are yellow-green. Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Least Sandpiper: Breeds from Alaska to Labrador and, in the east, south to Nova Scotia and, recently, Massachusetts. Spends winters from the southern U.S. to central South America and the West Indies. Frequents sandy beaches and exposed tidal flats.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Least Sandpiper was first described in 1819 by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot, a French ornithologist. It is the smallest shorebird in the world.
Although they are relatively numerous, they often occur in flocks of dozens or hundreds, rather than thousands like some other sandpipers.
They tend to forage at the upper edge of mudflats or along drier margins of inland ponds than other related small sandpipers.
A group of sandpipers has many collective nouns, including a "bind", "contradiction", "fling", "hill", and "time-step" of sandpipers.

The Least Sandpiper is a terrestrial bird that is native to the Caribbean, South America, Central America and North America as well as Asia. It is also a frequent visitor to Europe and other parts of the world. The range of the Least Sandpiper is almost 5 million square kilometers. The population of the Least Sandpiper is estimated at around 600,000 individual birds. This bird is not currently considered to be facing any threats. The rating for the Least Sandpiper is Least Concern. The prior rating for this bird species was Lower Risk.