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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Scolopacidae
  4. ›
  5. Calidris
  6. ›
  7. Little Stint
Little Stint
Photo · (c) Andrew Allen, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Little Stint

Calidris minuta(Leisler, 1812)

Updated 21 March 2026

Conservation status: Least ConcernOrigin: Vagrant
Order
CHARADRIIFORMES
Family
Scolopacidae
Genus
Calidris

At a glance

The Little Stint, listed as Least Concern. It can be seen year-round.

Conservation status
Least Concern
Origin
Vagrant
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

The little stint is a very small wader. It breeds in arctic Europe and Asia, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to Africa and south Asia. It occasionally is a vagrant to North America and to Australia. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific minuta is Latin for "small.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Wingspan
28 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Little Stint?

The Little Stint is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Little Stint live in Australia?

The Little Stint is found in Australia, recorded across 20 of Australia’s bioregions, with a core range spanning high to low Arctic drier tundra of north Palearctic.

BreedingHigh to low Arctic drier tundra of north Palearctic: far north Scandinavia, White Sea coast, south Novaya Zemlya, through north Russia to New Siberian Is. (east-central Siberia)

Non-breedingEast PAL, AF, India : coastal and inland mudflats and marshes, south Europe, Mediterranean, Africa, west Madagascar, Middle East and central to south Asia

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Breeding
  • Vagrant

7 regions recorded