Sharp-tailed sandpiper - Calidris acuminata
The Calidris sandpipers are a bewildering group of small to medium-sized waders, many of which are very similar to each other. Almost all are long-distance migrants, and so are capable of crossing the vast expanses of ocean required to get to New Zealand. Four members of the genus visit New Zealand often enough to be considered regular migrants, but another 12 species have been identified in New Zealand on at least one occasion. The sharp-tailed sandpiper is one of the regulars, along with lesser knot, red-necked stint and curlew sandpiper. Until the 1990s, up to 200 sharp-tailed sandpipers visited New Zealand each summer, and could be found in flocks of 5-10 birds at favoured estuaries and wetlands scattered throughout the country. Their numbers have since plummeted, and perhaps as few as 30 birds are now reaching New Zealand each year. Because New Zealand is on the edge of the sharp-tailed sandpiper range, it is unclear whether the large decline in the number of birds arriving here mirrors overall population trends, or whether it reflects a change in migration patterns, with a lower proportion of birds crossing the Tasman Sea.
Sharp-tailed sandpiper - Calidris acuminata
The Calidris sandpipers are a bewildering group of small to medium-sized waders, many of which are very similar to each other. Almost all are long-distance migrants, and so are capable of crossing the vast expanses of ocean required to get to New Zealand. Four members of the genus visit New Zealand often enough to be considered regular migrants, but another 12 species have been identified in New Zealand on at least one occasion. The sharp-tailed sandpiper is one of the regulars, along with lesser knot, red-necked stint and curlew sandpiper. Until the 1990s, up to 200 sharp-tailed sandpipers visited New Zealand each summer, and could be found in flocks of 5-10 birds at favoured estuaries and wetlands scattered throughout the country. Their numbers have since plummeted, and perhaps as few as 30 birds are now reaching New Zealand each year. Because New Zealand is on the edge of the sharp-tailed sandpiper range, it is unclear whether the large decline in the number of birds arriving here mirrors overall population trends, or whether it reflects a change in migration patterns, with a lower proportion of birds crossing the Tasman Sea.