Calidris himantopus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The stilt sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) is a small shorebird. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek; the genus name kalidris or skalidris is a term used by Aristotle for a gray-colored waterside bird. The specific himantopus means "strap foot" or "thong foot", and also refers to the stilt.
Formerly placed in its own monotypic genus Micropalama, DNA evidence has now shown that it is deeply embedded in the genus Calidris, where its closest relative is the curlew sandpiper, and next closest to a group of four Eurasian species, red-necked stint, spoon-billed sandpiper, Temminck's stint, and long-toed stint. Within the genus Calidris the stilt sandpiper is most closely related to the curlew sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea).
The stilt sandpiper resembles the curlew sandpiper in its long bill, long neck, pale supercilium and white rump. It is readily distinguished from that species by its straighter bill (only slightly curved, not obviously so), its longer and greenish-yellow (not black) legs, and in flight, by the lack of a wingbar. It also lacks an obvious wing bar in flight. Breeding adults are distinctive, heavily barred with blackish bars on a white... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isla del Coco National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Caroni Swamp | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 6 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 11 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 13 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 14 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 16 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 17 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Cochabamba | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 7 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 8 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 9 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Stilt Sandpiper sighting in Caroni Swamp on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 107th most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Stilt Sandpiper in Caroni Swamp on a given day, against under 5% in December to July, 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 Stilt 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.
Among the best
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Stilt Sandpiper sightings, Caroni Swamp ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Isla del Coco National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same genus: Calidris
The closest relatives of the Stilt Sandpiper that you can see in Caroni Swamp (genus Calidris, Calidris Sandpipers) are Least Sandpiper (about 20%), Semipalmated Sandpiper (about 10%) and White-rumped Sandpiper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Stilt Sandpiper is recorded against all the birds logged in Caroni Swamp (30 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.
