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GrasslandScrapeSmall · 28 g
ID tip
It is a small sandpiper, 15–18 centimetres (6–7 inches) long and weighing around 18–51.5 grams (0.63–1.82 ounces). Wingspan ranges from 13.8 to 14.6 in (35 to 37 cm). Adults have black legs and a short, stout, straight dark bill. The body is dark grey-brown on top and white underneath. The head and neck are tinged light grey-brown. This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny shorebirds, in particular the western sandpiper; these are known collectively as "peeps" or "stints". Jonsson, Lars & Peter J.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Semipalmated Sandpiper
One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 7 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is August, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Semipalmated Sandpiper
The map shades 58 countries with regular records, and 7 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in France, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Morocco.
About the Semipalmated Sandpiper
The semipalmated sandpiper is a very small shorebird. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific pusilla is Latin for "very small".
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
RuffCalidris pugnaxThe ruff has a distinctive pot-bellied appearance, with a small head, medium-length bill, longish neck and heavy body.
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriAdults have dark legs and a short, thin, dark bill, thinner at the tip.
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosThis bird looks similar to the widely sympatric sharp-tailed sandpiper (C. acuminata), which is not however a member of the same clade in the genus.
Side by side: Dunlin vs Semipalmated Sandpiper · Least Sandpiper vs Semipalmated Sandpiper · Sanderling vs Semipalmated Sandpiper · Ruff vs Semipalmated Sandpiper · Semipalmated Sandpiper vs Western Sandpiper · Pectoral Sandpiper vs Semipalmated Sandpiper
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