Calidris minuta

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	CHARADRIIFORMES	SCOLOPACIDAE

Scientific Name:

Calidris minuta

Species Authority:

(Leisler, 1812)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Little Stint
French	–	Bécasseau minute

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2009

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Bird, J., Butchart, S.

Justification:
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History:

2008	–	Least Concern
2004	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Countries:	Native: Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Angola; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belgium; Benin; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chad; China; Comoros; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Finland; France; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Hungary; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Lebanon; Lesotho; Liberia; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Luxembourg; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Madagascar; Malawi; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mayotte; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nepal; Netherlands; Niger; Nigeria; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Slovakia; Slovenia; Somalia; South Africa; Spain; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Swaziland; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Uzbekistan; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe Vagrant: Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; Barbados; Bermuda; British Indian Ocean Territory; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Faroe Islands; Gibraltar; Hong Kong; Iceland; Liechtenstein; Malaysia; Marshall Islands; Northern Mariana Islands; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Thailand; United States; Viet Nam
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Countries:

Native:

Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Angola; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Belgium; Benin; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chad; China; Comoros; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Finland; France; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Hungary; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Lebanon; Lesotho; Liberia; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Luxembourg; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Madagascar; Malawi; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mayotte; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nepal; Netherlands; Niger; Nigeria; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Slovakia; Slovenia; Somalia; South Africa; Spain; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Swaziland; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Uzbekistan; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Vagrant:

Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; Barbados; Bermuda; British Indian Ocean Territory; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Faroe Islands; Gibraltar; Hong Kong; Iceland; Liechtenstein; Malaysia; Marshall Islands; Northern Mariana Islands; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Thailand; United States; Viet Nam

Range Map:

Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Behaviour This species is a full long-distance migrant that migrates overland on a broad front¹ (or by utilising a great many routes)² across much of the Western Palearctic^{1, 2}. It is also nomadic in parts of its wintering range (e.g. southern Africa), moving as habitats flood or are overgrown⁵. Autumn movements to wintering grounds occur between July and November; the return migration occurring mid-May to early-June¹, with breeding occurring between late-June and early-July¹. Many immatures also remain in the wintering grounds all year round¹. This species is gregarious outside of the breeding season² and occurs in small groups in its winter range³, often aggregating into larger flocks to roost at high tide or at night⁵. A typical migratory flock can be as large as 20-30 individuals¹. Breeding pairs sometimes nest as close as 5 pairs/ha, but more often they are dispersed (around 10 pairs/km²)¹. Habitat Breeding During the breeding season this species inhabits low altitude tundra in the high Arctic¹ (although it exceptionally occurs above 1,000 m in the west of its range)². It shows a preference for dry ground among dwarf willows near swampy areas or saltmarshes¹, or areas where mosses and sedges are interspersed with hummocks covered by Empetrum⁴. It avoids areas where annual rainfall exceeds 250 mm¹. Non-breeding On migration this species is found along the muddy edges of small inland lakes, reservoirs, sewage farms⁴, riverbanks¹ and seasonal pools², as well as on coastal mudflats and seashores^{1, 4}. In its winter range the species mainly inhabits coastal areas such as estuarine mudflats and sandflats^{1, 5}, enclosed lagoons, tidal creeks¹ and saltpans³, but it also occurs at inland freshwater wetlands such as open pools in marshes, paddyfields, jheels (and other small bodies of water covered with vegetation)¹, small dams, floodwater margins and sandbanks along rinvers³. Diet The diet of this species consists chiefly of invertebrates^{1, 2}. Breeding During the breeding season larval and adult Diptera and small beetles are the primary foods¹, particularly the larvae of mosquitoes and craneflies⁴. Non-breeding Outside of the breeding season the diet becomes more varied, with ants, Hymenoptera, waterbugs, annelids, small molluscs, crustaceans, freshwater mites and plant material being taken as well as Diptera and beetles¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow cup² on the ground in the open^{1, 2}, sometimes covered with vegetation¹.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour This species is a full long-distance migrant that migrates overland on a broad front¹ (or by utilising a great many routes)² across much of the Western Palearctic^{1, 2}. It is also nomadic in parts of its wintering range (e.g. southern Africa), moving as habitats flood or are overgrown⁵. Autumn movements to wintering grounds occur between July and November; the return migration occurring mid-May to early-June¹, with breeding occurring between late-June and early-July¹. Many immatures also remain in the wintering grounds all year round¹. This species is gregarious outside of the breeding season² and occurs in small groups in its winter range³, often aggregating into larger flocks to roost at high tide or at night⁵. A typical migratory flock can be as large as 20-30 individuals¹. Breeding pairs sometimes nest as close as 5 pairs/ha, but more often they are dispersed (around 10 pairs/km²)¹. Habitat Breeding During the breeding season this species inhabits low altitude tundra in the high Arctic¹ (although it exceptionally occurs above 1,000 m in the west of its range)². It shows a preference for dry ground among dwarf willows near swampy areas or saltmarshes¹, or areas where mosses and sedges are interspersed with hummocks covered by Empetrum⁴. It avoids areas where annual rainfall exceeds 250 mm¹. Non-breeding On migration this species is found along the muddy edges of small inland lakes, reservoirs, sewage farms⁴, riverbanks¹ and seasonal pools², as well as on coastal mudflats and seashores^{1, 4}. In its winter range the species mainly inhabits coastal areas such as estuarine mudflats and sandflats^{1, 5}, enclosed lagoons, tidal creeks¹ and saltpans³, but it also occurs at inland freshwater wetlands such as open pools in marshes, paddyfields, jheels (and other small bodies of water covered with vegetation)¹, small dams, floodwater margins and sandbanks along rinvers³. Diet The diet of this species consists chiefly of invertebrates^{1, 2}. Breeding During the breeding season larval and adult Diptera and small beetles are the primary foods¹, particularly the larvae of mosquitoes and craneflies⁴. Non-breeding Outside of the breeding season the diet becomes more varied, with ants, Hymenoptera, waterbugs, annelids, small molluscs, crustaceans, freshwater mites and plant material being taken as well as Diptera and beetles¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow cup² on the ground in the open^{1, 2}, sometimes covered with vegetation¹.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The species is threatened on the south-east coast of India (Point Calimere) by illegal hunting (bird trapping), reservoir and marshland habitat alteration by salt-industries, and habitat degradation by diminishing rainfall (changing the salt regime)⁶. It is threatened at Walvis Bay in Namibia, a key wetland site in southern Africa, by habitat degradation (e.g. through changes in the flood regime due to road building, and wetland reclamation for suburb and port development), and disturbance from tourism⁸. This species is also susceptible to avian malaria⁷ and avian botulism^{9, 10}, so may be threatened by future outbreaks of these diseases.

Major Threat(s):

The species is threatened on the south-east coast of India (Point Calimere) by illegal hunting (bird trapping), reservoir and marshland habitat alteration by salt-industries, and habitat degradation by diminishing rainfall (changing the salt regime)⁶. It is threatened at Walvis Bay in Namibia, a key wetland site in southern Africa, by habitat degradation (e.g. through changes in the flood regime due to road building, and wetland reclamation for suburb and port development), and disturbance from tourism⁸. This species is also susceptible to avian malaria⁷ and avian botulism^{9, 10}, so may be threatened by future outbreaks of these diseases.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Calidris minuta. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 February 2012.
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