| Baird's sandpiper | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Baird's sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) foraging for insects | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Scolopacidae |
| Genus: | Calidris |
| Species: | C. bairdii |
| Binomial name | |
| Calidris bairdii (Coues, 1861) | |
 | |
| Range Breeding Nonbreeding Passage | |
| Synonyms | |
Actodromas bairdii | |
Baird's sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) is a smallshorebird. It is among thosecalidrids which were formerly included in the genusErolia, which wassubsumed into the genusCalidris in 1973.[2] The genus name is fromAncient Greekkalidris orskalidris, a term used byAristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The English name and specificbairdii commemorateSpencer Fullerton Baird, 19th-century naturalist and assistant secretary of theSmithsonian Institution.[3]
Adults have black legs and a short, straight, thin dark bill. They are dark brown on top and mainly white underneath with a black patch on the rump. The head and breast are light brown with dark streaks. In winter plumage, this species is paler brownish gray above. This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny shorebirds; these are known collectively as "peeps" or "stints".
One of the best identification features is the long wings, which extend beyond the tail when the bird is on the ground. Only thewhite-rumped sandpiper also shows this, and that bird can be distinguished by its namesake feature.
| Standard Measurements[4][5] | |
|---|---|
| length | 180–190 mm (7–7.6 in) |
| weight | 38 g (1.3 oz) |
| wingspan | 430 mm (17 in) |
| wing | 117.6–125.3 mm (4.63–4.93 in) |
| tail | 50–57 mm (2.0–2.2 in) |
| culmen | 20.5–24.5 mm (0.81–0.96 in) |
| tarsus | 21.3–24.2 mm (0.84–0.95 in) |
Baird's sandpipers breed in the northern tundra from easternSiberia to westernGreenland. They nest on the ground, usually in dry locations with low vegetation.
They are along-distance migrant, wintering inSouth America. This species is a rare vagrant to westernEurope.
Baird's sandpipermight havehybridized with thebuff-breasted sandpiper.
These birds forage by moving about mudflats, picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects, also some small crustaceans.
