About Calidris minutilla (Vieillot, 1819)
This species, the least sandpiper (scientific name: Calidris minutilla (Vieillot, 1819)), has yellow-green legs and a short, thin, dark bill. Breeding adult individuals have brown upper bodies with dark brown streaks, and white underparts. They have a pale line above the eye and a dark crown. In winter, least sandpipers are grey on their upper bodies. Juvenile least sandpipers have bright patterning on their upper bodies, with rufous coloration and white stripes along the mantle. This bird can be hard to tell apart from other similar tiny shorebirds, which are collectively called "peeps" or "stints". It is especially similar to its Asian relative, the long-toed stint. The least sandpiper differs from the long-toed stint by having a more compact build, a shorter neck, shorter toes, somewhat duller overall coloration, and a more prominent wingbar. Standard measurements for the species are: length 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in), wingspan 27–28 cm (11–11 in), and weight 19–30 g (0.67–1.06 oz). A key reference for identification of this species is Jonsson, Lars & Peter J. Grant (1984) Identification of stints and peeps British Birds 77 (7): 293-315.
