Calidris pusilla
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Semipalmated Sandpiper sighting in Galápagos Islands on a given day, based on 137 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 74th most-seen of the 114 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Semipalmated Sandpiper in Galápagos Islands on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
20th of 39
Of the 39 parks where we can rate Semipalmated Sandpiper sightings, Galápagos Islands ranks 20th at under 5%. The best odds are in Isla del Coco National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%), Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%) and Caroni Swamp (Trinidad and Tobago, about 10%).
Same genus: Calidris
The closest relatives of the Semipalmated Sandpiper that you can see in Galápagos Islands (genus Calidris, Calidris Sandpipers) are Least Sandpiper (about 10%) and Sanderling (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 Galápagos Islands (137 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.
