Long-toed Stint

Common migrant and non-breeding visitor.

Brown, yellow-legged stint with heavily streaked breast. Bill base yellow. Dumpy body with relatively short rear end. In flight, seen from above, has less distinct wingbar, browner overall plumage and browner outer tail feathers than other stints. From below, extensive blackish leading edge of wing and toes projecting beyond tail are distinctive. Ad B: (Mar – Aug) Crown and ear coverts rich rufous streaked black; supercilium, nape and throat whitish streaked black. Breast and foreflanks heavily streaked blackish. Belly to vent white. Upperparts: mantle, scapulars, tertials and some coverts have dark centres and rich orange-chestnut edges; rest of coverts edged buff-brown. Ad Nb: (Sep – Feb) Head, breast and upperpart feathers have dark centres and buff-brown edges. Juv: (Aug – Sep) In fresh plumage, crown streaked black and chestnut; creamy ‘split supercilium’, brown or chestnut rear ear coverts. Breast streaked dark brown; rest of underparts white. Mantle, scapulars and tertials chestnut with dark brown centres; outer mantle feathers and lower scapulars have creamy edges which may form pale lines; wing coverts have dark brown centres and shafts with buff edges.

Wood Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper share similar leg colour and plumage patterns but are much larger. Browner than other stints, and also differs from them in having heavily streaked breast in all plumages.

Typically forages with ‘creeping’ gait, legs held flexed. Preferred habitat is marshy water’s edge, often rummaging at the base of waterside vegetation. When alarmed, stretches neck vertically in so-called “giraffe posture”. Listen for distinctive call when flushed.

Most numerous in freshwater habitats, including paddyifields, on the coastal plain and also, occasionally, well inland.

Most frequently seen from mid-August – mid-March.