Charadriiformes / Scolopacidae / Calidris
Red-necked Stint
Calidris ruficollis · 红颈滨鹬
Introduction
A small migratory wader in the genus Calidris, breeding in northeast Russia and wintering along the coastlines of Southeast Asia and Australasia. It is monotypic with no recognized subspecies.
Description
Measures 13–17 cm (5.1–6.7 in) in length, 28–37 cm (11–15 in) in wingspan, and weighs 21–51 g (0.74–1.80 oz). It has a fine dark bill and dark legs. Breeding adults feature an unstreaked orange breast bordered with dark markings below and a white V on the back. Juveniles display contrasting mantle plumage with weaker white lines down the back compared to relatives. Winter plumage identification is difficult, though the bird is shorter-legged and longer-winged than similar species.
Identification
Distinguished from western and semipalmated sandpipers by a fine bill tip, unwebbed toes, and longer primary projection. Differentiated from the little stint by shorter legs, longer wings, and quicker movements. The call is a hoarse 'stit'.
Distribution & Habitat
Breeds along the Arctic littoral of eastern Eurasia. Non-breeding range extends through Southeast Asia and Australasia as far south as Tasmania and New Zealand. Rare vagrant to western Europe (including Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Sweden) and occasionally found in the Americas, often seen in western Alaska.
Behavior & Ecology
Highly gregarious, forming flocks with other small Calidris waders such as sharp-tailed sandpipers and curlew sandpipers. Breeds in low-altitude tundra, usually in dry raised areas. Nests are shallow depressions lined with leaves and grass. Eggs are laid in June; a clutch of 3 or 4 is incubated for 20-22 days by both parents. Females leave after hatching, while males care for chicks until they fledge at 16-17 days. Raises a single brood annually. Forages in wet grassland, soft mud, intertidal mudflats, and freshwater lake margins, mainly picking up insects and small invertebrates by sight.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Calidris
Distribution
breeds coastal tundra of Taymyr Peninsula eastward to Chukotskiy Peninsula and northern Kamchatka Peninsula (north-central to north-eastern Siberia); breeds coastal northeastern India and Sri Lanka eastward to Philippines, Australasia, and Melanesia
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
