Least sandpiper
Calidris minutilla (Vieillot, 1819)
The least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) is a species in the family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh 22 g to 23.7 g and live up to 16 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.
Quick facts about the least sandpiper
- Weight
- 22 g – 23.7 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 16 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 20.3 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the least sandpiper live?
Not recorded
What is the least sandpiper?
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).
From the Wikipedia article “Least sandpiper” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Least_sandpiper&oldid=1380690528), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the least sandpiper endangered?
The least sandpiper is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.
How is the least sandpiper classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyScolopacidae
- genusCalidris
- SpeciesCalidris minutilla (Vieillot, 1819)
Synonyms Actodromas minutilla, Ereunetes minutillus, Erolia minutilla, Pisobia minutilla, Tringa minutilla
Other names and names in other languages (72)
- Little sandpiperEnglish
- Pond birdEnglish
- دريجة دنياArabic
- دريجة صغيرةArabic
- mazaricu menuduAsturian
- Дребен брегобегачBulgarian
- Sourouc'han bitikBreton
- territ menut canadencCatalan
- Territ menut del CanadàCatalan
- jespák drobnýCzech
- pibydd bychanWelsh
- Amerikansk DværgryleDanish
- WiesenstrandläuferGerman
- Wiesen-StrandläuferGerman
- Αμερικανική ΝανοσκαλίδραGreek
- nana kalidroEsperanto
- Amerika malgranda kalidroEsperanto
- Playerito menorSpanish
- Correlimos menudilloSpanish
- Correlimos MenudoSpanish
- Playerito MenudoSpanish
- Playero chichicuiloteSpanish
- Playero DiminutoSpanish
- Playero enanoSpanish
- Playero menudilloSpanish
- PisirislaEstonian
- pisirisla e. pisirüdiEstonian
- PisirüdiEstonian
- Txirri nanoBasque
- آبچلیک کوچکPersian
- amerikansirriFinnish
- VætturgrælingurFaroese
- Bécasseau minusculeFrench
- Gobadáinín bídeachIrish
- Ricuitgcf
- Pilro minúsculoGalician
- Leayrane minniagaghManx
- Chululu'iGuarani
- Ti bekasin pitiHaitian Creole
- חופיתHebrew
- חופית זעירהHebrew
- kanadski žalarCroatian
- törpepartfutóHungarian
- LavluġauraqInupiaq
- MærutítaIcelandic
- Gambecchio comuneItalian
- Gambecchio americanoItalian
- Piro-piro americanoItalian
- アメリカヒバリシギJapanese
- nykštukinis bėgikasLithuanian
- mazais trulītisLatvian
- Tábąąsdísístłʼinii áłtsʼíísígííNavajo
- pygmesnipeNorwegian Bokmål
- kleinste strandloperDutch
- Amerikaanse kleine strandloperDutch
- pygmésnipeNorwegian
- Snepi ChikíPapiamento
- Snepi ChikitoPapiamento
- biegus karłowatyPolish
- maçariquinhoPortuguese
- pilrito-anãoPortuguese
- Песочник-крошкаRussian
- AmerihkávirošNorthern Sami
- pobrežník najmenšíSlovak
- pritlikavi prodnikSlovenian
- Američka mala sprutkaSerbian
- dvärgsnäppaSwedish
- Cüce KumkuşuTurkish
- küçük kum kuşuTurkish
- побережник-крихіткаUkrainian
- 姬濱鷸Chinese
- 美洲小滨鹬Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the least sandpiper
Other species in the same genus Calidris.
Ruff
Calidris pugnax
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Dunlin
Calidris alpina
Red knot
Calidris canutus
Little stint
Calidris minuta
Temminck's stint
Calidris temminckii
CompareLeast sandpiper vs RuffLeast sandpiper vs SanderlingLeast sandpiper vs DunlinLeast sandpiper vs Red knot
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the least sandpiper?
An adult least sandpiper weighs 22 g – 23.7 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the least sandpiper endangered?
The least sandpiper is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.
How long does the least sandpiper live?
The least sandpiper has a recorded lifespan of 16 years.
What kind of animal is the least sandpiper?
The least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) belongs to the family Scolopacidae in the order Charadriiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/least-sandpiper
“Least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/least-sandpiper.
@misc{least_sandpiper_2026,
title = {Least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/least-sandpiper},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}