Sharp-tailed Sandpiper  |  

The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is a small-medium wader. The bird has a length of 17–22 cm, a wingspan of 36–43 cm and a weight of 65 g. It is a portly sandpiper with a flat back, pot belly and somewhat drawn-out rear end. It has a small flat head on a short neck with a short and slightly decurved bill. The species has medium length legs. At rest, the primaries are level with or slightly short of the tip of the tail. The primary projection is short in adults and moderately long in juveniles. The sexes are similar and there is marked seasonal variation (Higgins & Davies 1996). The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper spends the non-breeding season in Australia with small numbers occurring regularly in New Zealand. Most of the population migrates to Australia, mostly to the south-east and are widespread in both inland and coastal locations and in both freshwater and saline habitats. Many inland records are of birds on passage (Cramp 1985; Higgins & Davies 1996).