Little stint
Calidris minuta
Nastya Klimova · Inkiti Lake, Abkhazia Georgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 12–14 cm, wingspan 28–31 cm; 20–30 g
- Diet
- Insects and their larvae, worms, molluscs, crustaceans
- Status in Georgia
- Migrant
- Recorded regions
- Kvemo Kartli; Adjara; Abkhazia; Shida Kartli
- Habitat
- Muddy shores of lakes and reservoirs, sea coast
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Conservation
- Global LC (2019); Georgia LC (2024)
The little stint is a sparrow-sized wader: it is 12–14 cm long and weighs 20–30 g. It breeds in the Arctic tundra of Europe and Asia, winters in Africa and southern Asia, and passes over Georgia on migration. In Georgia it is seen mainly from April to September, most often in August, on muddy lake shores and on the sea coast. It looks most like Temminck's stint, which has yellowish legs and white sides to the tail. If a tiny, black-legged sandpiper is running across the mud faster than the others and dipping its bill again and again, it is most likely a little stint.
Identification
Little stint: how to identify it
It is a tiny sandpiper with a fine dark bill and black legs, and it moves faster than other waders. The call is a sharp, short "stit". The main lookalike is Temminck's stint, so check the leg colour first.
In breeding plumage it has an orange wash on the breast, rusty-golden cheeks and sides of the neck with brown streaks, and a white throat and belly. A clear white V shows on the back. In winter it turns grey-brown, and identification becomes much harder.
It differs from other small, dark-legged stints in its fine bill tip, toes without webbing and the primaries that project far beyond the folded wing. Young birds have pale crown stripes and a pinkish breast. These features show only at close range, so leg colour is the safer guide.
Temminck's stint has yellowish or greenish legs, white sides to the tail and a plain head. The little stint has black legs, grey sides to the tail, a white stripe above the eye and a V on the back. If the legs are covered in mud, look at the sides of the tail as the bird takes off.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
On migration it stops on the muddy shores of small lakes, reservoirs, rivers and seasonal pools, and on muddy and sandy sea coasts. In Georgia most records come from Kvemo Kartli, from Kumisi Lake and Gardabani Municipality. It is often seen in Adjara, near Batumi, near Khelvachauri and in the Chorokhi Delta, in Abkhazia, near Gagra and at Lake Inkiti, and in Shida Kartli, at Nadarbazevi Lake. There are single records from Guria, from Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti near Khobi, from Kakheti in Sagarejo Municipality, and from Samtskhe-Javakheti at Lake Madatapa. It breeds in the low Arctic tundra, choosing dry ground among dwarf willows near marshes or saltmarshes.
The little stint map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. Four regions have enough records: Kvemo Kartli, Adjara, Abkhazia and Shida Kartli.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It mainly eats small invertebrates, which it picks from the mud. When breeding it takes adult and larval flies, especially the larvae of mosquitoes and craneflies, and small beetles. On migration and in winter its diet is more varied: ants, water bugs, worms, small molluscs, crustaceans, water mites and plant material. It feeds by day and by night, in shallow water and on muddy shores.
It is a long-distance migrant. Autumn migration runs from July to November, it returns to the breeding grounds from mid-May to early June, and it breeds from late June to early July. In Georgia it is less common in spring, in April and May, and much more common in autumn, in August and September. Outside the breeding season it lives in groups: a migrating flock usually holds 20–30 birds, and in winter it sometimes forms large flocks with other sandpipers, especially dunlins. The female pairs with two males and lays in two nests: the male incubates the first clutch and she incubates the second. The nest is a scrape on the ground, often at the foot of a shrub, lined with old grass. It lays 3–5 eggs, and incubation lasts 21 days.
Globally the little stint is rated Least Concern (LC, 2019). A 2015 estimate puts the world population at about 1,500,000–1,600,000 birds, of which 1,000,000–1,100,000 are mature, and the number is rising; in Europe it is stable. In some places it is threatened by illegal trapping, the conversion of marshes and reservoirs for salt production and the degradation of wintering sites. It is susceptible to avian malaria and botulism. Its numbers depend on lemmings: in poor lemming years, predators such as the snowy owl switch to Arctic waders. In Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC, 2024).
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a migrant. It stops in Georgia only on migration, mainly from April to September. It is seen most often in August and September, as it flies south from the Arctic.
Most records come from Kumisi Lake in Kvemo Kartli. It is often seen near Batumi and in the Chorokhi Delta, near Gagra and at Lake Inkiti, and at Nadarbazevi Lake in Shida Kartli. Watch muddy lake shores or the sea coast, where small sandpipers feed.
It is sparrow-sized, with a fine dark bill and black legs, and it runs quickly across the mud. In summer it has an orange wash on the breast and a white V on the back; in winter it is grey-brown. The call is a sharp "stit". Its black legs are its most reliable feature.
The little stint has black legs and grey sides to the tail; Temminck's stint has yellowish or greenish legs and white sides to the tail. The little stint also has a white stripe above the eye and a V on the back, while Temminck's has a plain head. If you cannot see the legs, look at the tail edges as it takes off.
Small invertebrates, which it picks from the mud. In summer it takes mostly the larvae of mosquitoes and craneflies and small beetles. On migration it also eats ants, water bugs, worms, small molluscs and crustaceans. It feeds by day and by night.
In the Arctic tundra of Europe and Asia, from late June to early July. The female lays in two nests: a male incubates one and she incubates the other. The nest is a scrape on the ground with 3–5 eggs, and incubation lasts 21 days. It does not breed in Georgia and only stops here on migration.
It is harmless to people. Globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC), and its world population is rising. It is covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
