Calidris minutilla
The Least Sandpiper is the smallest of the shorebirds, but its size is not a deterrent to its migratory feats. Like most other North American 'peeps'-a term used to group the nearly indistinguishable Calidris sandpipers-the yellow-legged Least Sandpiper migrates between the Arctic and the southern tip of South America. Because arctic summers are so short, shorebirds must maximize their breeding time. One way shorebirds ensure quick reproduction is to lay comparatively large eggs: the entire clutch may weigh over half the weight of the female! These large eggs allow the shorebird's young to hatch in an advanced state of development and get an early jump on life. |
I.D.: Sexes similar. Adult: black bill; yellow legs; dark, mottled back; buff-brown breast, head and nape; light breast streaking. Immature: like an adult, but with a faintly streaked breast. Size: L 5-61/2 in. (13-17 cm). Range: rare spring migrant and common fall migrant in the Canadian Rockies; locally common migrant in the northern U.S. Rockies; uncommon migrant in the Colorado Rockies. Habitat: sandy beaches, lakeshores, ditches, sewage lagoons, mudflats and the edges of wetlands in the montane and the subalpine. Nesting: in the arctic taiga and tundra; on a dry site near a raised mound; in a small depression built of grass and leaves; pair incubates 4 eggs for about 21 days. Feeding: probes or pecks the substrate in short grass, on mudflats or in shallow pools; eats mosquitoes, beach fleas, amphipods, gastropods, flies, other aquatic invertebrates and occasionally seeds. Voice: high-pitched kreee. Similar Species: Other 'peeps': all tend to have dark legs and are generally larger. |
