Red-Necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis)

Size: 15 cm, 30 gm

Description: A tiny wader with short black bill, black legs and eyes. Forehead and eyebrow white, crown, neck and upperparts light grey/brown. Underparts white. Breeding adults start to develop a strong rusty colour about the head and neck before departure.

Habitat: Tidal mudflats, sandflats, coastal lakes and estuaries. Feed on small insects and invertebrates.

Status: Common Arctic Migrant. 5th most common arctic wader to reach NZ each summer, 100-250 birds. Common worldwide - 200,000+ reach Australia each winter.

Breeding: June - July. On the Siberian tundra - Taimyr Peninsula to the Bering Sea and in northwestern Alaska.

Where and how to photograph: Try lying down near where they are feeding, they will soon ignore you and may come close during their foraging.

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