Broad-billed Sandpiper
Calidris falcinellis
IUCN status: Vulnerable
Flyway population 45000 (2022 estimate)
Identification
Very small wader with a broad bill decurved at the tip and a distinctive split supercillium.
Plumage
Non-breeding: The head and neck are streaked grey-brown, with a white supercilium and second white line through the side of the crown. The chin and throat are white. The grey-brown feathers of the scapulars, back and wings are fringed with white. The breast is white streaked and mottled with grey. The rest of the underparts are white. The rump is white with a dark central line. The legs are dark grey. The bill has a broad base, slightly down-curved and black.
Breeding: The upperparts are dark, the feathers have black centres, chestnut edges and a white tip. The breast is more heavily streaked. The supercilium and crown stripes are more pronounced.
Juvenile: Similar to the non-breeding plumage, but more heavily marked with buff edges to the feathers..
Similar species
Red-necked Stint: Slightly smaller than the Broad-bill and does not have the slightly down-curved bill. It has a single white supercilium.
Curlew Sandpiper: Larger than the Broad-bill, and has longer legs. Both have down-curved bills but in this species it is more obvious. The non-breeding plumage is a plainer grey, whilst the red of the breeding plumage is distinctive.
Distribution
Subspecies sibirica breeds in NE Siberia and winters in NE India, SE Asia, Phillipines, Indonesia and Australia. Present in NW Australia from late October and leave mid April/ early June. A few remain at wintering sites.
Monthly reports of Broad-billed Sandpiper in Queensland
Yearly sightings in Queensland
Best sites in Queensland to see Broad-billed Sandpiper
International and Nationally Important sites in Queensland
| Significant Bird Area | Year | Peak Count | International | National |
| Burdekin River Delta | 2018 | 150 | No | Yes |
| Moreton Bay | 2014 | 136 | No | Yes |
| SE Gulf of Carpentaria | 2013 | 98 | No | Yes |
Conservation
EPBC listing: Marine, Migratory – not listed
References
- BirdLife Australia (2023). Broad-billed Sandpiper. [Text before updates sourced from: Marchant, S. et al (eds) 1990-2006 Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds.Volume 1 to 7.] Birdlife Australia. Birdlife Australia. Source: https://hanzab.birdlife.org.au/species/broad-billed-sandpiper/ Accessed: April 30, 2026 Time Zone: +10:00
- van Gils, J., P. Wiersma, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Broad-billed Sandpiper (Calidris falcinellus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.brbsan.01
- eBird. 2021. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available: http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed: Date [e.g., February 2, 2021]).
- Driessen, J., Kidd, L. R., Weller, D. R., Purnell, C., Maguire, G., Jaensch, R., and LeClair, S. M. (2025). Australian National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat. Report for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
- https://sparrow1963.shinyapps.io/qld_waders_all/