Stilt Sandpiper
Learn to identify the Stilt Sandpiper by ear. Master the "krree-krree-krut" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the Stilt Sandpiper sounds like
Medium-sized shorebird with the proportions of a yellowlegs but plumage of a peep: long, yellow-green legs give it a “stilted” gait while the bill is medium-length and gently down-curved toward the tip. Breeding adults show rich chestnut feather edges above and heavy dark barring below; non-breeding birds are plainer gray-brown with a clean whitish breast and flanks. Often feeds by steadily probing or even sewing its bill in water like a dowitcher.
“krree-krree-krut”
How to tell it apart
Where you'll hear it
Long-distance migrant: breeds Arctic Canada and Alaska; stages across interior and Atlantic coast of North America; winters from coastal Mexico south through northern Argentina.
Shallow freshwater or brackish wetlands, flooded fields, sewage ponds, and coastal mudflats; breeds on sedge-tundra pools in the high Arctic.
South-bound passage is far heavier than spring, peaking July–September in North America. Spring migrants appear April–May. On wintering grounds August–April.
Similar species
Pectoral Sandpiper
Pectoral has shorter yellow legs, straight bill, and sharp demarcation between streaked breast and white belly.
Lesser Yellowlegs
Yellowlegs much larger with thicker, straight bill and plain gray upperparts.
Curlew Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper lacks yellowish legs, shows longer more evenly curved bill, and in breeding has brick-red underparts.