Species names in all available languages
| Language | Common name |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Lepelbekstrandloper |
| Bangla (India) | ঘুড়ঘুড়ি |
| Basque | Txirri mokozabala |
| Bulgarian | Чукотски брегобегач |
| Catalan | territ becplaner |
| Chinese | 琵嘴鷸 |
| Chinese (Hong Kong SAR China) | 勺嘴鷸 |
| Chinese (SIM) | 勺嘴鹬 |
| Croatian | žalar žličar |
| Czech | jespák lžícozobý |
| Danish | Skeryle |
| Dutch | Lepelbekstrandloper |
| English | Spoon-billed Sandpiper |
| English (AVI) | Spoon-billed Sandpiper |
| English (United States) | Spoon-billed Sandpiper |
| Estonian | luitsnokk-rüdi |
| Finnish | lusikkasirri |
| French | Bécasseau spatule |
| French (Canada) | Bécasseau spatule |
| German | Löffelstrandläufer |
| Hebrew | חופית כפנית |
| Hungarian | Kanálcsűrű parfutó |
| Icelandic | Skeiðtíta |
| Indonesian | Kedidi paruh-sendok |
| Japanese | ヘラシギ |
| Korean | 넓적부리도요 |
| Norwegian | skjesnipe |
| Polish | biegus łyżkodzioby |
| Russian | Лопатень |
| Serbian | Sprutka kašikara |
| Slovak | pobrežník lopatkozobý |
| Slovenian | Žličasti prodnik |
| Spanish | Correlimos Cuchareta |
| Spanish (Spain) | Correlimos cuchareta |
| Swedish | skedsnäppa |
| Thai | นกชายเลนปากช้อน |
| Turkish | Kaşık Gagalı Kumkuşu |
| Ukrainian | Лопатень |
Revision Notes
Sayam U. Chowdhury and Christoph Zöckler revised the account. Peter Pyle made contributions to the Plumages, Molts, and Structure page, and Peter F. D. Boesman made contributions to the Sounds and Vocal Behavior page.
Calidris pygmaea (Linnaeus, 1758)
Definitions
- CALIDRIS
- calidris
- pygmaea / pygmaeum / pygmaeus / pygmea / pygmeum / pygmeus
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmaea Scientific name definitions
Version: 2.0 — Published May 5, 2025
Photos from this Account
Breeding adult
Nonbreeding adult/immature
Nonbreeding adult/immature
Juvenile
Nonbreeding adult/immature
Nonbreeding adult/immature
Juvenile
Breeding adult
Breeding adult
Breeding plumage.
Nonbreeding plumage.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Similar species: Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis).
Red-necked Stint has shorter and more pointed bill.
Similar species: Sanderling (Calidris alba).
Sanderling has a straight and stout bill.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Similar species: Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis).
Red-necked Stint with mud sticks to the tip of the bill can be mistakenly identified as Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Natal Down.
Natal down is light rusty yellow-brown with underparts white with black speckles and white markings. Note especially the white spots to the dark crown. The spatulate shape to the bill is present at hatching.
Natal Down.
The crown can consist of a dark cap with prominent white spots, surrounded by yellowish buff.
Natal Down.
The remainder of the upperparts are similar to the crown, dark blackish with a sprinkling of stellate spots.
Juvenile (left).
Fresh juveniles can show dark cinnamon crown with fine dark streaking, and white underparts with a ale buff wash across breast and streaked, brownish-buff patch to the sides. Note the fresh scaled appearance to the upperparts, the central scapulars with cinnamon to rufous fringing and the back feathers and upperwing coverts with whiter fringing. Tawny to warm buff breasts, with indistinct streaking to the sides. Note also the pattern to the upperpart feathers, gray with black anchor-shaped markings and wide pale fringes creating a scaly appearance.
Juvenile.
The fringing to the back feathers can wear off by October, resulting in crown and upperparts of juveniles appearing darker. Note the darker rufous-cinnamon fringing.to the scapulars and the whiter fringing to the back feathers and upperwing coverts.
Juvenile.
The cinnamon-buff tinge to the breast can remain into October but can bleach to white by the time Preformative Molt begins.
Formative Plumage (left).
Formative Plumage resembles Definitive Basic Plumage except for molt contrasts between fresher gray scapulars and some proximal upperwing coverts, contrasting with browner and more worn juvenile median and greater coverts. Note also the brown and tapered tips to the juvenile outer primaries.
Formative Plumage.
Molt limits occur between replaced formative scapulars and retained juvenile wing coverts. Retained juvenile primaries are relatively narrow, pointed at the tips, brownish, and worn.
Formative Plumage.
Note the contrasts between worn brown juvenile win coverts and fresher gray formative scapuars. The variation in wear among scapulars may represent protracted replacement or a few first alternate feathers may be growing in. Note also that the inner two tertials (t1-t2) appear to be replaced and contrast with the worn juvenile outer tertial (t3).
First Alternate Plumage.
First Alternate Plumage is variable but is often similar to worn Formative Plumage but with a few scattered upperpart feathers, wing coverts (as here), and perhaps occasionally tertials replaced, darker, and fresher. The extent and brightness of rufous to the head and breast is reduced.
First Alternate Plumage.
Some birds in worn Formative or First Alternate Plumage may remain to oversummer on winter grounds; these typically do not develop much or any rufous coloration to the head and breast.
First Alternate Plumage, possible male.
Some first-alternate birds can gain rufous coloration to the head and breast, but it is usally or always less extensive or bright than in definitive basic birds. Hear note that molt limits are still visible between formative and juvenile wing coverts, and this and the worn brown outer primary tips confirms First as opposed to Definitive Alternate Plumage. It is quite possible that the bright coloration in this plumage could indicate a male but further study on this is needed.
Definitive Basic Plumage.
Definitive Basic Plumage is entirely grayish and white. It is separated from Formative Plumage by uniformly basic upperwing coverts and tertials, gray with white fringes and dusky shaft streaks. Note also the broad and black tips to the outer primaries.
Definitive Basic Plumage.
Basic primaries are duskier, fresher, and broader at tips, with molt clines occurring from more worn inner to fresher outer primary and with the outer secondary appearing fresher than the inner primary. Basic rectrices are uniformly broader, less tapered at the tips, and fresher than retained juvenile rectrices of Formative Plumage. Underwing coverts white except for marginal lesser and outer primary coverts washed darker gray.
Definitive Basic Plumage.
Note the uniformly basic wing coverts and tertials, gray with white fringing and dusky shaft streaks, and the broad and black tips to the outer primaries.
Definitive Alternate Plumage, probable female.
In Definitive Alternate Plumage, replaced alternate upperpart feathers and tertials (if present) are blackish with rufous and white fringing. The head, throat, and breast is variably washed dull to bright reddish. Definitive Alternate Plumage coloration may be bimodal according to sex, varying from dull brownish red with white and brown mottling in females (as here), to brighter orange-rufous in males.
Definitive Alternate Plumage, probable female.
Definitive Alternate Plumage is Separated from First Alternate by fuller breeding appearance and lack of molt limits and other features described under Definitive Basic Plumage. Here note the lak of juvenile upeperwing coverts and the molt cline from more worn inner to blacker and broader outer primaries. The reddish coloration to the head and breast also averages brighter in Definitive than in First Alternate Plumage, sex for sex, and here may indicate a female in this plumage.
Definitive Alternate Plumage, probable male
Plumage coloration may be bimodal according to sex, being bright orange-rufous throughout the head, throat and breast in males, but confirmation of this sex-specific plumage is needed. Extent of Definitive Prealternate Molt may also average greater in males than females, here including most upperpart feathers, probably many upeprwing coverts, and all three tertials.
Variation in alternate plumages
Alternate plumages vary substantially in this species, from formative-like in some first alternate birds (such as that in the center here), to extensively reddish on the head, throat and breast. Within Definitive Alternate Plumage, females (possibly the two birds on the left) may average less extensively and duller rufous than males (possibly the two brighter birds to the right).
Variation in alternate plumages
The bird at upper left appears to be in First Alternate Plumage, with juvenile wing feathers lacking molt clines, and also shows little reddish coloration to the head. By contrast the two brighter individuals to the right are in Definitive Alternate Plumage, with basic wing feathers showing molt clines, and the extensive orange-rufous coloration to the heads may indicate males.
Variation in alternate plumages
First Alternate Plumage (front left) can lack reddish all together whereas Definitive Alternate Plumage is extensively reddish, but may average duller in females (front right) than in males (most of the birds to the rear).
Commencing Definitive Prebasic Molt
Definitive Prebasic Molt occurs primarily in August–October in selected stopover molting grounds such as on the Jiangsu coast of China. Here the inner six primaries and the tertials have dropped to commence a complete molt. Note also some head feathers being replaced by gray basic feathers. The relatively fresh and broad outer primaries and extensive reddish to unmolted head feathers indicates Definitive rather than the Second Prebasic Molt.
Possibly suspended prebasic molt
Note the outer two primaries (p9–p10) appear to be old, contrasting with a replaced p8 and suggesting a suspended prebasic molt, to be completed on winter grounds. It's difficult to tell if this is a Second or Definitive Prebasic Molt but suspended molts may more often occur during the latter in individuals that successfully bred and commenced molt later.
Commencing Definitive Prealternate Molt
Definitive Prealternate Molts can commence on non-breeding grounds as early as March. Here note some tertials, median coverts, and an outer greater covert are growing are newly replaced alternate feathers. Molt of head and breast feathers appear not to have begun or are being replaced by basic-like feathers. Reddish feathers here may come in during a second Presupplemental Molt on molting grounds, as in other Calidris sandpipers, but confirmation of this is needed.
First-year bird.
The feet can appear yellowish in some first-year birds, possibly simply due to staining from vegetation but possibly true coloration.
Definitive Basic Plumage showing feet (right).
Webbing between the toes is lacking or nearly so.
Adult in Definitive Basic Plumage.
The most distinctive feature of this species is its spatulate or "shovel-shaped" bill, adapted for tactile foraging in mud and shallow water, enabling it to efficiently detect prey like small invertebrates. In adults, the bill and legs are black and the iris is dark brown but appears black in the field.
Adult in Definitive Alternate Plumage.
The bill, iris, legs, and feet are black year-round in adults.
Juvenile.
The spatulate-shaped bill is present in nestlings and fully developed in juveniles. The bill, iris, legs, and feet are black at all ages except perhaps in nestlings..
Spoon-billed Sandpiper was recorded in British Columbia, Canada, on August 1978.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper was recorded in Alaska, United States, on May 1986.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper has been recorded in Bataan, Philippines, on March 2024.
Breeding habitat; Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia.
Nonbreeding habitat; Jiangsu, China.
Nonbreeding habitat; Bago, Myanmar.
Nonbreeding habitat; Chittagong bibhag, Bangladesh.
Bird catching prey.
Bird with prey.
Territorial encounter on breeding territory.
Nest with eggs.
Nest with clutch of four eggs.
Adult with young.
Conservation of tidal flats is high priority for Spoon-billed Sandpiper conservation; Tiaozini wetlands, Jiangsu, China.
Macaulay Library Photos for Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Top-rated photos submitted to the Macaulay Library via eBird. Note: Our content editors have not confirmed the species identification for these photos.
