Sandpipers · Shorebirds
Broad-billed Sandpiper
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Calidris falcinellus
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Voice
Call
How to recognize it
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Length 16–18 cm; short legs, long bill with a kinked tip
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Two white stripes above the eyes, pattern retained in winter
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In summer, dark brown back with pale edges, breast with dark markings
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Dry whistle "dree-it" and clicking "dik-dik"
About the species
In breeding plumage, its dark brown back is edged with pale feathers, above a white belly and a breast marked with dark streaks. A pale stripe runs along the crown, and the pale line above each eye is split in two. Its long, dark bill ends in a slight downward kink; in winter, the upperparts turn pale grey while the head stripes remain.
On muddy shallows, it moves in small, slow steps, dipping its bill into the soft ground for food. Its call is a dry whistle: "dree-it, dree-it", sometimes followed by a clicking "dik dik". During migration, it gathers in flocks with other waders, especially Dunlins.
It breeds on wet Arctic bogs in northern Scandinavia and Siberia, then travels south for winter, from eastern Africa and the Middle East across Asia to Australasia. It probes marsh mud for insects and other small invertebrates on its breeding grounds, and feeds along coasts in winter.
Where to find
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During breeding season in the wet mossy and grassy bogs of northern Scandinavia and Siberia, watch for a male's aerial courtship display above the bog.
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In summer, at bare muddy shallows of lakes and river shoals, look for slow steps and a bill dipping into the mud.
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In winter, on muddy coastal flats at low tide, watch a Broad-billed Sandpiper feed slowly, probing the mud with its bill.
