The Little Stint (Calidris minuta) is one of the very smallest waders, a sparrow-sized, lively bird that runs eagerly over mudflats and mudbanks during the autumn passage; in breeding plumage it glows rusty, though in Sweden it is usually seen in duller juvenile dress. At just 12–14 cm long, with a wingspan of 28–31 cm and a weight of 20–40 grams, summer birds show a rusty-brown, mottled back with pale feather edges forming a pale "V", against a white underside, while winter plumage is plain pale grey; the legs are black and the bill short, straight and black. The juveniles that dominate Sweden's autumn passage are neatly marked with rusty tones and a clear pale back pattern. The call is a short, dry, bright "krit" or "pitt", often given by birds flying in flocks.
The species does not breed in Sweden, occurring only as a passage migrant — thinly in May and in much larger numbers from July to September, when juveniles predominate — best looked for at mudflats, sandy beaches and shallow coastal ponds, with classic sites including Getterön, Ottenby and Hjälstaviken. On its arctic tundra breeding grounds it lays eggs in a shallow, well-camouflaged scrape among low vegetation, following an unusual breeding system in which the female can lay two clutches in quick succession, the first incubated by the male and the second by herself, compressed into the brief arctic summer window. It feeds on small insects, larvae, small crustaceans, snails and worms picked rapidly from mud and shallow water, moving in a restless, trotting pace often alongside other small waders.
Read about this species in Swedish →