Long-toed Stint vs Spoon-billed Sandpiper

Long-toed Stint

Calidris subminuta

Small30 gWetland

The long-toed stint is a very small wader measuring just 13 to 16 cm (5.1 to 6.3 in) in length with a wingspan of 26.5 to 30.5 cm (10.4 to 12.0 in). It weighs about 25 g (0.9 oz). It has a small head and short, straight sharp-tipped beak. The neck is slender, the belly rounded and the long legs are set well back. The toes are long and slender, especially the middle one. The primary feathers extend as far as the tail. The crown is brown and there is a pale streak just above the eye. The upper parts are brown with the centres of the feathers darker brown.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Mike Prince from Bangalore, India · CC BY 2.0

Spoon-billed Sandpiper

Calidris pygmaea

Small32 gCoastal

The most distinctive feature of this species is its spatulate bill. The breeding adult bird has a red-brown head, neck and breast with dark brown streaks, blackish upperparts with buff and pale rufous fringing. Non-breeding adults lack the reddish colouration, but have pale brownish-grey upperparts with whitish fringing to the wing-coverts. The underparts are white and the legs are black. It is 14–16 cm (5.5–6.3 in) long. The measurements are; wing 98–106 mm, bill 19–24 mm, bill tip breadth 10–12 mm, tarsus 19–22 mm and tail 37–39 mm.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Валерия Ковалева · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Long-toed Stint and Spoon-billed Sandpiper.