Surfbird
Calidris virgata (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
The surfbird (Calidris virgata) is a species in the family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh 186.9 g to 216.2 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the surfbird
- Weight
- 186.9 g – 216.2 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- coastalsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4src for Young per litter or clutch
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the surfbird live?
Not recorded
What is the surfbird?
The surfbird (Calidris virgata) is a small stocky wader in the family Scolopacidae. It was once considered to be allied to the turnstones, and placed in the monotypic genus Aphriza, but is now placed in the genus Calidris.
This bird has a short dark bill, yellow legs and a black band at the end of the white rump. In breeding plumage, it has dark streaks on the brownish head and breast with dark spots on its white underparts; the upperparts are dark with flax or sometimes rust colouring on the wings. Birds in winter plumage and immature birds are mainly grey on the upperparts and breast and white on the underparts with streaking.
Their breeding habitat is rocky tundra areas in Alaska and the Yukon. The female lays 4 eggs in a depression on the ground lined with vegetation. Both parents look after the young birds, who feed themselves.
These birds migrate to the Pacific coasts of North and South America, from southern Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
On the nesting grounds, these birds mainly eat insects and some seeds. At other times of year, they eat mollusks and crustaceans found along the surf line on rocky coasts and are usually found in small flocks, often with turnstones.
The song is a whistled tee tee tee.
From the Wikipedia article “Surfbird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Surfbird&oldid=1347946620), 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 surfbird endangered?
The surfbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- 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 Least Concern species.
How is the surfbird classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyScolopacidae
- genusCalidris
- SpeciesCalidris virgata (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Synonyms Aphriza borealis, Aphriza townsendi, Aphriza virgata, Charadrius winterfeldti, Frinca townsendi, Strepsilas virgata, Totanus virgatus, Tringa borealis, Tringa townsendi, Tringa virgata, Vanellus borealis
Other names and names in other languages (51)
- Townsend's sandpiperEnglish
- دريجة متموجةArabic
- Прибоен брегобегачBulgarian
- territ trencaonesCatalan
- jespák příbojovýCzech
- aderyn ewynWelsh
- StenryleDanish
- GischtläuferGerman
- surfa kalidroEsperanto
- Nigroblankpuga kalidroEsperanto
- Playero roqueroSpanish
- Chorlito de RompientesSpanish
- Chorlo de las RompientesSpanish
- Correlimos de rompientesSpanish
- Playero BrincaolasSpanish
- Playero de las rompientesSpanish
- Playero de rompienteSpanish
- KaljurislaEstonian
- KaljurüdiEstonian
- kaljurüdi (kaljurisla)Estonian
- آبچلیک موجنشینPersian
- tyrskykahlaajaFinnish
- Bécasseau du ressacFrench
- Bruth-éanIrish
- חופית מפוספסתHebrew
- debelokljuni žalarCroatian
- Hullámtörő madárHungarian
- AfriziaItalian
- Piro piro striatoItalian
- Piro-piro striatoItalian
- アライソシギJapanese
- strazdinis tilvikasLithuanian
- raibais tārtiņšLatvian
- Tábąąsdísístłʼinii naashchʼąąʼígííNavajo
- BrandingloperDutch
- brottsnipeNorwegian
- brzegowiecPolish
- ave-surfistaPortuguese
- pilrito-da-rebentaçãoPortuguese
- pilrito-surfistaPortuguese
- Бурунный куликRussian
- Бурунный песочникRussian
- pobrežník príbojovýSlovak
- Sprutka litičarkaSerbian
- BränningsnäppaSwedish
- bränningssnäppaSwedish
- Dalga kuşuTurkish
- Pasifik KumkuşuTurkish
- побережник американськийUkrainian
- 濱浪鷸Chinese
- 短嘴鹬Chinese
Relatives of the surfbird
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
CompareSurfbird vs RuffSurfbird vs SanderlingSurfbird vs DunlinSurfbird vs Red knot
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the surfbird?
An adult surfbird weighs 186.9 g – 216.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the surfbird endangered?
The surfbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the surfbird?
The surfbird (Calidris virgata) 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). Surfbird (Calidris virgata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/surfbird
“Surfbird (Calidris virgata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/surfbird.
@misc{surfbird_2026,
title = {Surfbird (Calidris virgata)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/surfbird},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}