Calidris acuminata
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quanzhou | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 3 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Naha | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 10 | Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper sighting in Rottnest Island on a given day, based on 29 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 49th most-seen of the 81 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Rottnest Island on a given day, against under 5% in February to October, the lowest months. That is one of Rottnest Island's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 120 mm in June.
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.
Yes
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Sharp-tailed Sandpiper sightings, Rottnest Island has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Cape Range (Australia, under 5%) and Ningaloo Marine Park (Australia, under 5%).
Same genus: Calidris
The closest relatives of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper that you can see in Rottnest Island (genus Calidris, Calidris Sandpipers) are Red-necked Stint (about 60%), Sanderling (about 20%) and Curlew Sandpiper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is recorded against all the birds logged in Rottnest Island (29 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.
