Calidris minutilla
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) is the smallest shorebird. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific minutilla is Medieval Latin for "very small".
Within the genus Calidris, the least sandpiper is most closely related to the white-rumped sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis). This species has yellow-green legs and a short, thin, dark bill. Breeding adults are brown with dark brown streaks on top and white underneath. They have a light line above the eye and a dark crown. In winter, Least sandpipers are grey above. The juveniles are brightly patterned above with rufous colour and white mantle stripes.
This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny shorebirds; these are known collectively as "peeps" or "stints". In particular, least sandpiper is very similar to its Asian counterpart, long-toed stint. It differs from that species in its more compact, shorter-necked appearance, shorter toes, somewhat duller colour, and stronger wingbar.
Measurements: Length: 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in) Wingspan: 27–28 cm (11–11 in) Weight: 19–30 g (0.67–1.06 oz) Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 4 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Monterey Bay Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Least Sandpiper sighting in Isla del Coco National Park on a given day, based on 105 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 69 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Least Sandpiper in Isla del Coco National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March and April, the lowest months. May and July–August have too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Least 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.
2nd of 63
Of the 63 parks where we can rate Least Sandpiper sightings, Isla del Coco National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 40%).
Same genus: Calidris
The closest relatives of the Least Sandpiper that you can see in Isla del Coco National Park (genus Calidris, Calidris Sandpipers) are Sanderling (about 30%), Western Sandpiper (about 20%) and Pectoral Sandpiper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Least Sandpiper is recorded against all the birds logged in Isla del Coco National Park (105 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.
