Least sandpiper

Group of least sandpipers feeding in shallow blue water with their reflections, Manitoba

The least sandpiper is the smallest shorebird in the world, barely bigger than a sparrow. It has brown, streaked upperparts, a streaked breast, and greenish-yellow legs, which are the best way to tell it from the other small sandpipers, which have dark legs.

Least sandpipers breed in the far north and pass through Manitoba on migration, in spring and again from midsummer into fall. Look for them on muddy shorelines, wet fields, and shallow pools, probing the mud for tiny invertebrates, often in the company of other small sandpipers.

Here are a few of them feeding together in the shallows.

To learn more about the least sandpiper and its habitat, visit its species page at All About Birds.

Field notes in photographs

  • Least sandpiper foraging at a muddy water’s edge, Manitoba

Least sandpiper Manitoba sightings

Where and when you can find the least sandpiper in Manitoba depends on the season and the habitat. You can see more species in the Manitoba birds section.

Map of Manitoba showing where the least sandpiper nests and migrates, with major cities and lakes
Where to look for the least sandpiper in Manitoba through the seasons: nesting in the Taiga Shield, the Hudson Plains, and the Southern Arctic (gold) and passing through the Boreal Shield, the Boreal Plains, and the Prairies in spring and fall (lilac). Habitat regions: National Ecological Framework for Canada. Boundaries: Statistics Canada. Lakes: Natural Earth.

Back to Manitoba bird photography, or see the portfolio.

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