Baird's Sandpiper

Baird's Sandpiper, adult showing early Prebasic molt on breast sides. Myer's Point, Cayuga Lake/Lansing, Tompkins Co., NY; 2 August 2005.

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Baird's Sandpiper, juvenile; Ventura, CA. August

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

The long-winged Baird's Sandpiper prefers drier areas to forage than most other similar sandpipers.

Description

Small to medium-sized sandpiper. Short neck. Moderately long, slightly drooping bill. Moderately long legs. Long wings extend past end of tail on resting bird. Dark center of rump and tail. Fairly distinct chest markings. Back scaly, with whitish edges to dark back feathers in some plumages.

• Size: 14-18 cm (6-7 in)
• Wingspan: 35-38 cm (14-15 in)
• Weight: 27-63 g (0.95-2.22 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

Call a short "jeerc."

Conservation Status

No evidence of significant population trends.

Other Names

Bécasseau de Baird, Maubéche de Baird (French)
Correlimos de Baird, Playerito de Baird (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The migration of the Baird's Sandpiper is long but rapid. After departing high-arctic breeding grounds and staging in southern Canada and the northern United States, most individuals travel 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) or more directly to northern South America, some going on as far as Tierra del Fuego. Many individuals complete the entire 15,000 kilometer (9,300 mile) journey in as few as 5 weeks.

• The female Baird's Sandpiper lays a clutch of eggs that is up to 120% of her body mass in four days, shortly after arriving in the Arctic, with essentially no stored fat.

Sources used to construct this page:

Moskoff, W., and R. Montgomerie. 2002. Baird?s Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii). In The Birds of North America, No. 661 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.