Curlew Sandpiper
A species of Calidris Scientific name : Calidris ferruginea Genus : Calidris
Curlew Sandpiper, A species of Calidris
Botanical name: Calidris ferruginea
Genus: Calidris
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Lip Kee , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
These birds are small waders, similar to dunlins, but differ in having a longer down-curved beak, longer neck and legs and a white rump. They have a length of 18–23 cm (7.1–9.1 in), weight of 44-117 g and wingspan of 38–41 cm (15–16 in). The breeding adult has patterned dark grey upperparts and brick-red underparts. In winter, this bird is pale grey above and white below, and shows an obvious white supercilium. Juveniles have a grey and brown back, a white belly and a peach-coloured breast. 
Size
19-22 cm (7.5-8.5 in)
Colors
Brown
Black
Red
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
6 years
Feeding Habits
Curlew Sandpiper primarily feeds on insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and worms. Employing probing and pecking foraging techniques, curlew Sandpiper often feeds during low tides to exploit exposed mudflats, showcasing a diet adapted to coastal habitats.
Habitat
The curlew Sandpiper primarily inhabits coastal regions and is adapted to a variety of wetland habitats. During the breeding season, it can be found in the lowland tundras of the high Arctic, characterized by open landscapes with marshy depressions and pools. These breeding grounds are typically located along coastlines and islands within the Arctic Ocean. Outside the breeding season, curlew Sandpiper migrate to coastal areas where they favor tidal flats, coastal lagoons, estuaries, and saltmarshes. The species also makes use of inland wet habitats, such as the muddy peripheries of marshes, large rivers, lakes, saltpans, irrigation areas, and flooded regions.
Nest Behavior
After elaborate aerial courtship and ground displays, the curlew Sandpiper female constructs the nest and cares for the eggs and young solo.
Nest Characteristics
Curlew Sandpiper's nest is a shallow depression on a tundra hummock or low mound, lined with moss, lichens, and leaves.
Dite type
Aquatic invertebrate eater
General Info
Behavior
The male curlew sandpiper performs an aerial display during courtship. The clutch of 3–4 eggs are laid in ground scrape in the tundra and taiga, mostly in Siberia. It is extremely difficult to measure breeding success or population trends in their breeding grounds because nests are scattered over a vast region and their positions influenced by localised weather. Of all shorebird species, the curlew sandpiper has the smallest breeding range in relation to its non-breeding range. After breeding these birds migrate south to Africa, Australasia or India. South Africa is at the southern limit of the migration path from Siberia, 15,000 km (9,300 mi) or 130° of latitude away. This wader is highly gregarious, and will form flocks with other calidrid waders, particularly dunlin. Despite its easterly breeding range, this species is regular on passage in western Europe, presumably because of the southwesterly migration route. It forages in soft mud on marshes and the coast, mainly picking up food by sight. It mostly eats insects and other small invertebrates. The numbers of this species (and of little stint) depend on the population of lemmings. In poor lemming years, predatory species such as skuas and snowy owls will take Arctic-breeding waders instead. Counts of the birds in South Africa, specifically at Langebaan Lagoon where they are most numerous, indicate a 40% decline in numbers between 1975 and 2009. A similar trend has been noted in Australia and may be linked to effects of global warming at the breeding grounds. This species occasionally hybridizes with the sharp-tailed sandpiper and the pectoral sandpiper, producing the presumed "species" called "Cooper's sandpiper" ("Calidris" × cooperi) and "Cox's sandpiper" ("Calidris" × paramelanotos), respectively.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Shorebirds Family
Sandpipers Genus
Calidris Species
Curlew Sandpiper 
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