Temmincks Stint (Calidris temminckii)

Temmincks Stint

[order] CHARADRIIFORMES | [family] Scolopacidae | [latin] Calidris temminckii | [UK] Temmincks Stint | [FR] Becasseau de Temminck | [DE] Temminck-Strandlaufer | [ES] Correlimos de Temminck | [NL] Temmincks Strandloper

Subspecies

Monotypic species

Physical charateristics

Small stint with broad white sides of tail and rump, unique amongst Calidris.
Upperparts range from dull grey to olive brown, with variable patches of black brown, dull rufous and grey. Head and breast grey brown. Breast heavily streaked brown, white on chin, throat and belly.
Female averages slightly larger. Non-breeding adult has plain dark grey upperparts and head. Breast uniform pale grey brown, chin and throat white.

Listen to the sound of Temmincks Stint

[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/T/Temmincks Stint.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto

wingspan min.: 34 cm wingspan max.: 36 cm
size min.: 13 cm size max.: 15 cm
incubation min.: 21 days incubation max.: 22 days
fledging min.: 15 days fledging max.: 22 days
broods: 1   eggs min.: 2  
      eggs max.: 4  

Range

Eurasia : North

Habitat

Southern tundra, shrub tundra and along folldplains in forest tundra, on flat ground clear of vegetation, or covered with short grass interspersed with patches of shrubs. Also near inlets, fjords, deltas and streams. Upland ane inland, at sheltered sites on shrubland fringes.
Outside breeding season, variety of wetland types, preferably inland freshwater sites, flood lands, irrigated fields, sewage farms and more or less densely vegetated wetlands.

Reproduction

Egg laying in May-July. Successive bigamy by both sexes, occasionally with third clutch. Site fidelity and some natal philopatry. Nest on ground, in open or low vegetation, lined with plant, stems and leaves. 4 eggs, 2nd clutch started a week after 1st. Each nest cared for by one parent, incubation 21 days. Chick obscurely mottled cinnamon buff to ochraceous above with blackis band and white to buff down tips, buff-yellow face and throat, and white underparts. Age of first breeding 1 year.

Feeding habits

On coast, mainly annlids, crustaceans and small molluscs.
Pecks prey from surface, rarely probes. Singly or in small groups of up to 30 birds.

Conservation

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Calidris temminckii breeds mainly in Fennoscandia and arctic Russia, with Europe
accounting for less than half of its global breeding range. Estimates of its European
breeding population vary widely, but it is probably relatively large (as many as 420,000
pairs), and was stable between 1970-1990. Although there were declines in Sweden
and Finland during 1990-2000, populations in Norway and the Russian stronghold
were stable, and the species probably remained stable overall.
Temmincks Stint status Least Concern

Migration

Migratory. Broad front migration spans towards N Africa and S Asia. Arrive in n Africa late Jul to mid-Sept or mid-Oct, reaching Mali Aug-Oct, Eritrea Sept to early Oct, and tropics mainly from Oct. Departs wintering grounds mainly late Mar to Apr, some as late as May. Small numbers winter in Europe, occasionally as far as N Britain. Scandinavian birds move S-SW in autumn. Usually migrates in small flocks, up to 250 individuals.

Distribution map

Temmincks Stint distribution range map

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