
Photo: JJ Harrison · CC BY-SA 3.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Calidris ruficollis
Diet
Invertebrates
Habitat
Coasts and wetland; breeds on the Arctic coast of eastern Eurasia
Range
Breeds in north-east Russia; winters in Southeast Asia and Australasia
Clutch size
3–4 eggs
Incubation period
20–22 days
Size
13–17cm
Wingspan
28–37cm
Weight
21–51g
The red-necked stint, or rufous-necked stint, is a small migratory wader, 13–17 cm long with a wingspan of 28–37 cm and a weight of 21–51 g. It is among the smallest of waders, very similar to the little stint with which it was once considered conspecific. The breeding adult has an unstreaked orange breast bordered below with dark markings and a white V on its back. The call is a hoarse stit. It is highly gregarious and forms flocks with other small Calidris waders such as sharp-tailed and curlew sandpipers in its non-breeding areas (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is strongly migratory, breeding along the Arctic coast of eastern Eurasia and spending the non-breeding season in Southeast Asia and Australasia, as far south as Tasmania and New Zealand. Eggs are laid in June, three or four, incubated for 20–22 days by both parents; the female leaves soon after they hatch and the male cares for the chicks until they fledge at 16–17 days (Wikipedia, general species account).