Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Calidris acuminata

Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic

LCNTVUVulnerableENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Naha

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

9 Verified sightings at Naha
139 In all 7 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

The sharp-tailed sandpiper (Calidris acuminata) is a small-medium migratory wader or shorebird, found mostly in Siberia during the summer breeding period (June to August) and Australia for wintering (September to March).

Within the genus Calidris the sharp-tailed sandpiper is most closely related to the broad-billed sandpiper (Calidris falcinellus). The genus name calidris comes from the Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific acuminata is from Latin acuminatus, 'sharp, pointed'.

A small-medium wader, the portly sandpiper has a pot belly, flat back and somewhat drawn-out rear end. It has a mottled chestnut-brown upper body with sharp-looking feathers with a dark centre, a chestnut cap on its head and a brown stripe through each eye. Its bill is dark grey to black and straight, and its legs are olive- to yellow-coloured. The underparts are white or paler in colour, with the mottling similar to that on the breast and sides of the belly. The plumage is more vivid during the breeding season and duller in its winter plumage. The juveniles are brighter in colour in autumn and early... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:07

Russian Federation · 2017

© Andrew Spencer · XC425083 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Uncertain0:17

Mongolia · 2025

© Lim Ying Hien 林勇贤 · XC1032738 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Flight call0:06

Australia · 2017

© Marc Anderson · XC389385 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Rottnest Island 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
2 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
3 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
4 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
5 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
6 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
7 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Quanzhou 🇨🇳 China
~10%
2 Davao City 🇵🇭 Philippines
<5%
3 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Naha 🇯🇵 Japan
<5%
5 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Melbourne 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
7 Brisbane 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
8 Sydney 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
9 Auckland 🇳🇿 New Zealand
<5%
10 Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Naha?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper sighting in Naha on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 69th most-seen of the 81 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Naha?

April and October

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Naha on a given day, against under 5% in May–September and November–March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sharp-tailed 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.

Is Naha the best place to see a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper?

4th of 16

Of the 16 cities where we can rate Sharp-tailed Sandpiper sightings, Naha ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Quanzhou (China, about 10%), Davao City (Philippines, under 5%) and Seattle (United States, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper live in Naha?

Same genus: Calidris

The closest relatives of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper that you can see in Naha (genus Calidris, Calidris Sandpipers) are Long-toed Stint (about 20%), Temminck's Stint (about 10%) and Dunlin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is recorded against all the birds logged in Naha (9 verified sightings), 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.

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