Species of Concern
White-Rumped Sandpiper
Calidris fuscicollis
Also known as: Pond Bird
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
43 g
About This Species
A small, long-distance migrant shorebird found on mudflats, beaches and flooded fields during migration, usually mixed into flocks of other small sandpipers and best told apart by the white rump patch flashed in flight. Spring and autumn passage through coastal wetlands, particularly key stopover sites along its Americas flyway, offers the best chance of finding it.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Because this is a globally vulnerable species that depends on a small number of critical migration stopover sites, stay at least 50 metres from feeding or resting flocks and never approach closely enough to force birds into flight, since each unnecessary flush burns energy reserves needed to reach the next site.
- Shorebird habitat receives some legal protection in many countries along the flyway, but the strength of those protections varies considerably, so staying on marked paths and watching through a scope is the safer default.
VUAvesCharadriiformesScolopacidae
Seasonal Activity
301,899 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 43 g
Photo
(c) Hannah Floyd, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Hannah Floyd
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.