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 →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Least Sandpiper sighting in Death Valley National Park, based on 425 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Death Valley National Park
Western Sandpiper
Calidris mauri
Dunlin
Calidris alpina
Baird's Sandpiper
Calidris bairdii
Pectoral Sandpiper
Calidris melanotos
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Calidris pusilla
Stilt Sandpiper
Calidris himantopus
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Long-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus scolopaceus
Long-billed Curlew
Numenius americanus
Red-necked Phalarope
Phalaropus lobatus
📅 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 Death Valley National Park?
About 19% of wildlife watchers report a Least Sandpiper sighting in Death Valley National Park, based on 425 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Least Sandpiper in Death Valley National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Least Sandpiper in Death Valley National Park in our monthly data.