Sharp-tailed SandpiperSharp-tailed Sandpiper – water

A member of the wader group of birds (of the order Charadriiformes), the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata) migrate to Australia from the tundra of the Arctic Siberia and northeast Asia.

This migratory wader seem to prefer the grassy edges of shallow inland freshwater wetlands, mudflats, mangroves and even sewage farms.

A medium sized sandpiper, they have a distinct cap. The breeding adults have a rich chestnut brown cap and white eyeing, with heavily marked chevrons and spots on the underparts. They have dull greenish legs with a variable paler colour at the base of their dark bill.

The non-breeding adults have a duller grey-brown upper plumage, with a dull brown cap. The juveniles have a bright cap, a plain buffy breast, and contrasting white eyeline.

Common name
Asiatic Knot, Asiatic Pectoral Sandpiper, Siberian Knot, Siberian Pectoral Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Sharpie.

The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper are often seen wading and foraging with other species of wading birds.


  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Aves
  • Order: Charadriiformes
  • Family: Scolopacidae
  • Genus: Calidris
  • Species: Calidris acuminata

Sharp-tailed SandpiperSharp-tailed Sandpiper – water

WadersBanded Lapwing Bar-tailed Godwit Black-fronted Dotterel Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) Hooded Plover Inland Dotterel Lesser Sand Plover Long-toed Stint Oriental Plover Pacific Golden Plover Pectoral Sandpiper Pied Stilt Red-necked Avocet Red-necked Stint Ruff Sanderling Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Sooty Oystercatcher

BirdsApostlebird Australasian Darter Australasian Figbird Australasian Gannet Australasian Grebe Australasian Pipit Australasian Robins Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis) Australasian Wrens Australian Babblers Australian Bustard Australian Chats Australian Magpie Australian Pelican Australian Pratincole (Stiltia isabella) Australian White Ibis Bassian Thrush Black-faced Cormorant Black-faced Woodswallow Black Swan Bowerbirds Brolga Brown Songlark Channel-billed Cuckoo Cinnamon Quail-thrush Cormorants Cuckooshrikes and Allies Dotterels Lapwings Plovers Doves & Pigeons Emu Fairy Martin Finches Grey Fantail Grey Teal Honeyeaters Kingfishers Little Friarbird Little Grassbird Magpie-lark Masked Woodswallow Noisy Pitta Olive Whistler Paradise Riflebird Pardalotes Parrots Pheasant Coucal Pied Butcherbird Rainbow Bee-eater Raptors Rufous Fantail Redthroat Rufous Bristlebird Silver-crowned Friarbird Torresian Crow Waders Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena) Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) White-browed Woodswallow White Capped Noddy White-faced Heron White-necked Heron Willie Wagtail Yellow-throated Scrubwren