Calidris pusilla
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 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".
Within the genus Calidris, the semipalmated sandpiper is most closely related to the western sandpiper (Calidris mauri). It was formerly sometimes separated with some other stints in either Ereunetes or Erolia, but these placements would leave the rest of Calidris a paraphyletic group.
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".
Their breeding habitat is the southern tundra in Canada and Alaska near water. They nest on the ground. The male makes several... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 3 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 5 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Maracaibo | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 9 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warsaw Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | herpetarium warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | akwarium warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Semipalmated Sandpiper sighting in Caroni Swamp on a given day, based on 71 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 81st most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Semipalmated Sandpiper in Caroni Swamp on a given day, against under 5% in April, June–July and November, the lowest months. That is one of Caroni Swamp's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against 25 mm in February.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Semipalmated Sandpiper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 39
Of the 39 parks where we can rate Semipalmated Sandpiper sightings, Caroni Swamp ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Isla del Coco National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%).
Same genus: Calidris
The closest relatives of the Semipalmated Sandpiper that you can see in Caroni Swamp (genus Calidris, Calidris Sandpipers) are Least Sandpiper (about 20%), White-rumped Sandpiper (about 10%) and Pectoral Sandpiper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Semipalmated Sandpiper is recorded against all the birds logged in Caroni Swamp (71 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
