Temminck's stint
Calidris temminckii
Greg Lasley · Gambell
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 13.5–15 cm, wingspan 28–32 cm; 19–30 g
- Diet
- Insects and their larvae, worms, crustaceans, molluscs
- Status in Georgia
- Migrant
- Recorded regions
- Kvemo Kartli; Adjara
- Habitat
- Muddy, vegetated freshwater margins
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Conservation
- Global LC (2019); Georgia LC (2024)
Temminck's stint is a sparrow-sized wader, 13.5–15 cm long, and its Russian and Georgian names come from the pure white outer feathers of its tail. It breeds in the tundra and forest tundra of northern Eurasia and winters in tropical Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. In Georgia it stops on migration, mainly in August and September, more rarely in April and May. It looks most like the little stint, but has yellowish or greenish legs and a plain head. If a tiny, plain sandpiper is creeping slowly along the edge of a pool on a lake shore, look at its legs.
Identification
Temminck's stint: how to identify it
It is a small, rather plain sandpiper: brown above and white below, with a darker breast. It has shorter legs and longer wings than the little stint, and the tail extends beyond the folded wings, so it looks longer. The call is a loud trill. The main lookalike is the little stint.
The legs are yellowish, greenish-grey or brownish, and the outer tail feathers are pure white. The little stint has black legs and grey sides to the tail. The white tail edges show well in flight, so watch the tail when the bird takes off.
In summer the back is brownish-grey, with black and dark brown spots scattered unevenly and a rufous tinge on some feathers. The breast is pale brown with dark streaks, the belly and undertail are white, and a narrow, clear white bar runs along the wing. In summer the little stint is more rufous and has a white V on the back.
In winter it is plain grey, greenish-grey or brownish-grey above and white below, like a tiny common sandpiper. At this time it differs from the little stint in its yellowish legs, the lack of a white stripe above the eye and the lack of a V on the back. Young birds look like winter adults but are a little darker.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
On migration and in winter it stops by fresh water: on floodlands, irrigated fields, sewage ponds, ditches, muddy marshes and lake edges. On the coast it prefers muddy shores of sheltered inlets, estuaries and saltmarshes, and avoids open sandy beaches. In Georgia most records come from Kvemo Kartli, from Kumisi Lake and Gardabani Municipality, followed by Adjara, near Batumi. It has also been recorded in Abkhazia, near Gagra. It breeds in northern tundra and forest tundra, on river floodplains, mostly up to 250 m above sea level and up to 1200 m inland.
The Temminck's 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. Two regions have enough records: Kvemo Kartli and Adjara.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It mainly eats insects and their larvae, especially beetles, craneflies and midges, and sometimes plant matter. On the coast it takes worms, crustaceans such as sand fleas, and small molluscs. In soft mud with some vegetation it searches for food mostly by sight and picks it up, creeping slowly and steadily along the edge of a pool.
It is fully migratory and travels on a broad front across the whole width of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Adults leave their young in July, before they are fully fledged, and head south; juveniles leave the breeding grounds in early August. It migrates and feeds singly or in small groups of up to 30 birds and rarely forms large flocks. In Georgia most records fall in August. When breeding, the male hovers in one spot a few metres up, wings raised high above its back, and gives a silvery trill that recalls a cricket. The female lays her first clutch with one male, who incubates it, and her second clutch on another territory with a second male, which she incubates herself. The nest is a scrape on the ground, often at the foot of a willow or juniper, with 3–4 eggs.
Globally Temminck's stint is rated Least Concern (LC, 2019). A 2015 estimate puts the world population at about 165,000–1,255,000 birds, of which 110,000–850,000 are mature. The trend is unknown because the extent of the threats is uncertain; in Europe the population is stable. In Finland its nests are robbed by common gulls, ruddy turnstones, hooded crows, weasels, American mink and foxes. In Scandinavia it is threatened by the shrinking and deterioration of breeding sites, overgrazing of shore meadows and human disturbance, which leads to more chick deaths and abandoned nests. It is susceptible to avian influenza. In Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC, 2024).
Related guides
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Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a migrant. It stops in Georgia only on migration, most often in August and September, more rarely in April and May. It usually stops alone or in a small group, so it is easy to overlook.
Most records come from Kumisi Lake in Kvemo Kartli, followed by Batumi. It has also been recorded near Gagra. Check vegetated, muddy lake shores and pools; it rarely stops on open sandy beaches.
It is sparrow-sized, plain brown or grey above and white below, with a darker breast. The legs are yellowish or greenish and the sides of the tail are pure white. The call is a loud trill. Yellowish legs and white tail edges are its most reliable features.
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. Temminck's creeps slowly, while the little stint runs fast.
Mainly insects and their larvae, especially beetles, craneflies and midges. On the coast it takes worms, crustaceans and small molluscs. It looks for food by sight in soft mud with some vegetation.
In the tundra and forest tundra of northern Eurasia, from Scandinavia to Chukotka. The female lays two clutches with two different males: the male incubates the first and she incubates the second. The nest is a scrape on the ground, often at the foot of a shrub, with 3–4 eggs. It does not breed in Georgia.
It is harmless to people. Globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC), although its world population trend is unknown. 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.
