Select Page

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

IUCN status: Near threatened

 

Identification

Similar to Curlew Sandpiper, but with longer neck and much longer greenish, yellow legs. Has rufous patch on ear coverts and fine black and white barring on underparts in breeding plumage.

Confusing Species

Curlew Sandpiper

 

 

Distribution

 

Distribution

Vagrant to Australia.

Migratory habits

Migrates to central South America.

Breeding

Breeds in Alaska and northern Canada.

Sightings of Stilt Sandpiper in Australia

Location State Sighting period
Avalon VIC 8/12/2009
Werribee VIC 17/01/1993
Alice Springs NT 7/10/1991
Sanderson NT Aug 1980 to Sep 1980
Western Treatment Plant VIC Jan 2011

References

 

  1. 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 12/4/2026)
  2. Rogers A, Fuller RA & Amano T (2023) Australia’s migratory shorebirds: Trends and prospects. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Queensland, Brisbane.
  3. 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.
  4. https://sproggies63.github.io/birding_apps/
  5. Geering, Andrew, Lindsay Agnew, and Sandra Harding, eds. Shorebirds of Australia. Csiro Publishing, 2007.
  6. Klima, J. and J. R. Jehl Jr. (2020). Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.stisan.01