The broad-billed sandpiper is a small wading bird. The scientific name is from Latin; the specific name falcinellus is the diminutive from falx, falcis, "a small sickle". It was formerly treated in its own monospecific genus Limicola, but this was found to be embedded within the wider genus Calidris, into which it was transferred in 2004.
Region
Palearctic and Indo-Pacific flyways
Typical Environment
Breeds in wet moss–sedge tundra and fens across northern Fennoscandia and Siberia. During migration and in winter it frequents intertidal mudflats, estuaries, sheltered bays, and mangroves, and occasionally inland saline or brackish lagoons. It often associates with mixed flocks of small waders on extensive tidal flats. Roosting typically occurs on dry upper shorelines, sandbars, or levees near feeding areas.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Other
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A small Arctic-breeding sandpiper, it was formerly placed in the genus Limicola before molecular work embedded it within Calidris. Its slightly decurved, laterally flattened bill tip helps it probe soft mud for tiny invertebrates. The species follows major Palearctic flyways to winter on tropical coasts from East Africa through South and Southeast Asia to Australasia. The specific name falcinellus derives from Latin for a small sickle, referencing the bill shape.
Adult C. f. sibirica on spring migration, Taiwan
Eggs in the Museum Wiesbaden collection
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with swift, low flights over mudflats
Social Behavior
Often feeds and migrates in mixed-species flocks of small shorebirds. Nests are shallow ground scrapes in wet tundra; typical clutches are four eggs. Both parents participate in incubation and chick care, though roles may vary with season and location.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Generally quiet on the non-breeding grounds, giving soft, rolling trills and thin, buzzing calls in flight. On the breeding grounds, males deliver a rapid, rippling display call during aerial displays.
Plumage
Fine, dark-streaked brown upperparts with pale fringes and a streaked breast, grading to whitish underparts; non-breeding birds are greyer above with cleaner underparts.
Diet
Takes small aquatic invertebrates including chironomid larvae, worms, small crustaceans, and tiny mollusks. It probes soft mud with its sensitive, broad-tipped bill and also picks items from the surface. Foraging is often rapid and methodical, sometimes in loose groups where prey is abundant.
Preferred Environment
Feeds on exposed tidal flats, shallow estuarine pools, and the edges of mangroves and salt marshes. On breeding grounds it forages in wet tundra fens, boggy pools, and seepage areas.
