Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyScolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
- GenusCalidris (Calidris Sandpipers)
- SpeciesCalidris minutilla (Least Sandpiper)
The least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) is the smallest shorebird. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific minutilla is Medieval Latin for "very small". Within the genus Calidris, the least sandpiper is most closely related to the white-rumped sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis). Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Least Sandpiper sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, based on 11 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Calidris pusilla
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritima
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Pectoral Sandpiper
Calidris melanotos
White-rumped Sandpiper
Calidris fuscicollis
Red Knot
Calidris canutus
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Solitary Sandpiper
Tringa solitaria
American Woodcock
Scolopax minor
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Least Sandpiper in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?
About 2% of wildlife watchers report a Least Sandpiper sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, based on 11 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Least Sandpiper in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Least Sandpiper in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in our monthly data.