The red-necked stint is a small migratory wader that breeds in northeast Russia and spends the non-breeding season along the coastlines of Southeast Asia and Australasia.
Region
East Asia and Australasia
Typical Environment
Breeds on low Arctic tundra of northeastern Siberia near pools, marshy depressions, and sedge hummocks. Migrates along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, staging at major intertidal mudflats such as those of the Yellow Sea. In the non-breeding season it frequents sheltered coasts, estuaries, tidal mudflats, saltpans, and sandy shores across Southeast Asia, Australia, and occasionally New Zealand. It avoids rocky coasts and prefers fine sediments where prey is abundant. Inland records occur on flooded fields and lake margins during passage.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 800 m
Climate Zone
Other
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The red-necked stint is one of the smallest migratory shorebirds, undertaking epic journeys between Arctic Siberia and Australasia each year. It relies heavily on intertidal mudflats, especially in the Yellow Sea, for refueling during migration. In breeding plumage it shows a rich rufous wash on the head and neck, which fades to grey-brown in the non-breeding season. Conservation of coastal wetlands along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway is crucial for this species.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
fast direct flight with rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Highly gregarious outside the breeding season, forming tight flocks that feed and roost together on tidal cycles. On the breeding grounds pairs are territorial, nesting on the ground in shallow scrapes lined with plant material. Clutches typically contain four eggs, and both parents share incubation and brood care. Post-breeding, birds quickly gather at staging sites before southbound migration.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are high, thin, and twittering, often a sharp 'stit' or 'tsip' in flight. On breeding territories, birds give rapid trills and soft chatter during display flights. Calls carry well over open tundra and tidal flats.
Plumage
Breeding adults show rich rufous on the crown, sides of head, and neck with dark-centered scapulars edged rufous; underparts mostly white with some breast mottling. Non-breeding birds are plain grey-brown above and clean white below with a fine white supercilium. The bill is short, straight, and black; legs are black.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small invertebrates, including insect larvae and adults on the tundra during breeding. On coastal flats it takes polychaete worms, small crustaceans, and tiny mollusks picked from the surface or probed in soft mud. Foraging is typically rapid, with quick pecks and short rushes, often in synchrony with nearby birds. Diet composition shifts with habitat and tidal availability.
Preferred Environment
Intertidal mudflats, estuarine shallows, and saltworks where fine sediments and biofilm concentrate prey. During breeding it forages around freshwater pools and wet tundra margins; on migration it uses exposed flats at low tide and nearby roosts at high tide.
