A Sharp-tailed Sandpiper standing in shallow water
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata) is one of our more striking migratory waders. Sporting a tawny crown and back, straight black bill and olive legs, the medium-sized ‘Sharpie’ is easy to pick out in a flock of smaller waders.
A Sharp-tailed Sandpiper feeding in shallow water with grasses
Non-breeding plumage - October to March
A Sharp-tailed Sandpiper feeding in the mud
Breeding plumage - April to September
 Difficulties arise when they mix with the similar looking Pectoral Sandpiper (C. melanotos). The yellow legs and defined markings between the breast and belly of the Pectoral Sandpiper help to distinguish it from Sharpies.
A Pectoral Sandpiper standing in between two Sharp-tailed Sandpipers in shallow water
A Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (centre) with two Pectoral Sandpipers.
Cartoon world map showing distribution of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpipers breed in the Tundra of the high Arctic in Siberia. When they return to Australia, prevailing conditions determine where the flock ends up.
 
If Australia’s red centre is in flood, Sharpies will stop to forage in our vast, briny inland lakes. In dry years, they will travel the extra miles to join Red-necked Stints and Curlew Sandpipers in estuaries and mudflats along the southern coast.
 
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is not a picky eater. They will happily scoff aquatic worms, insects, molluscs, crustaceans and even seeds. They are often seen foraging around freshwater wetlands, mangroves, rocky shores and beaches.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

Least Concern

Australian EPBC Act

Secure

Similar Species

Sharp-tailed Sandiper (Calidris acuminata), Western Treatment Plant, Point Wilson, VIC by  patrickkavanagh via Flickr [CC BY 2.0]

Sharp-tailed sandpiper, Lake Wendouree, Ballarat by Ed Dunens via Flickr [CC BY 2.0]

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 8028.jpg by Alnus [CC BY-SA 2.0 tw (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/tw/deed.en)], from Wikimedia Commons

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper with two Pectoral Sandpipers by William Betts © 2017. Used with permission.

Sharp-tailed sandpipers sheltering from the wind, Lake Wendouree, Ballarat by Ed Dunens via Flickr [CC BY 2.0]

Distribution map of breeding & non-breeding grounds of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper drawn by Milly Formby © 2017.

Group sharpie shot by Cathy Cavallo © 2017. Used with permission.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper feeding by Szabolcs Kokay via YouTube [CC]

Content written by Cathy Cavallo & Amellia Formby.

Cathy Cavallo
Author
Cathy recently completed her PhD in Ecology and is a communicator with a passion for natural history, connecting people with nature and photography. When she isn’t running operations and social media for Remember The Wild, you’ll find her in the bush or underwater.
Book cover for A Shorebird Flying Adventure

A Shorebird Flying Adventure

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Join Milly on her microlight and discover how amazing and awesome migratory shorebirds are!

Milly Formby is a zoologist and illustrator of the children’s book A Shorebird Flying Adventure (CSIRO Publishing).  She is currently flying her microlight around Australia for Wing Threads: Flight Around Oz.

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