Stats

Lifespan

4-10 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Insectivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Flock

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Vulnerable

About

This small wading bird breeds in the Arctic tundra and migrates to South America. Males inflate a large throat sac to produce a hollow booming sound during courtship.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A clutch of eggs is incubated in the nest, kept warm by a brooding parent until the chicks pip free.
2. 2.
   hatchling

   A naked or downy hatchling is fed in the nest by its parents.
3. 3.
   juvenile

   A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest and learns to fly and forage.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown with adult plumage.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Scolopacidae

Genus

Calidris

Species

Calidris melanotos