The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is a medium sized wader with a straight black bill that has an olive-grey base. It has a chestnut crown and nape, a white eyebrow, and reddish brown upperparts, with each feather having a black centre. The rump and tail are black, with white outer margins visible in flight. The wings have an indistinct white bar. The breast and flanks are white, streaked and speckled black, with a reddish brown tinge on the chest, grading into a white belly and undertail. The legs are olive. This species is commonly seen with other waders during its migration from northern breeding grounds. Female smaller, especially with shorter wings. Non-breeding birds lack warm coloration.
Not Threatened.
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is a medium sized wader with a straight black bill that has an olive-grey base. It has a chestnut crown and nape, a white eyebrow, and reddish brown upperparts, with each feather having a black centre. The rump and tail are black, with white outer margins visible in flight. The wings have an indistinct white bar. The breast and flanks are white, streaked and speckled black, with a reddish brown tinge on the chest, grading into a white belly and undertail. The legs are olive. This species is commonly seen with other waders during its migration from northern breeding grounds. Female smaller, especially with shorter wings. Non-breeding birds lack warm coloration.
17- 22 cm, male 53-114 g, female 39-105 g, wingspan 36-43 cm
Taxonomy:
- Totanus acuminatus Horsfield, 1821, Java. Formerly placed in genus Erolia. Cooper’s Sandpiper “C. (Pisobia) cooperi” was probably hybrid between C. ferruginea and present species (see page 446). Monotypic. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Distribution:
- NC & NE Siberia from Lena Delta to R Kolyma. Winters from New Guinea through Melanesia to New Caledonia and Tonga, and S to Australia and New Zealand.
Prefers the grassy edges of shallow inland freshwater wetlands. It is also found around swage farms, flooded fields, mudflats, mangroves, rocky shores and beaches. Its breeding habitat in Siberia is the peat-hummock and lichen tundra of the high Arctic.
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper feeds on aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as worms, molluscs, crustaceans and sometimes, seeds. It is often found in large flocks, often with other waders, foraging in shallow waters.
Breeds in the short Siberian summer (June to August). Its nest is a well-hidden shallow hollow on the ground, lined with grass and leaves. The female incubates the eggs and raises the young alone.