Little Stint

Name: Little Stint

Scientific name: Calidris minuta

Category: Birds

Nature Stars: 70

What are nature stars?

About: A tiny sandpiper, about 15cm long: that's the same size as a Great Tit. Most birds seen here during the autumn are juveniles, which are white below and mottled brown and black above, with an obvious white V-shape across the back. Little Stint have a short

How to identify: Sandpipers can be a difficult group of birds to get to grips with. The Little Stint is tiny, noticeably smaller than Dunlin and with a shorter, straight bill. The much rarer Temminck's Stint is olivey grey above and has yellowy green legs.

Where: A rare winter visitor and scarce passage migrant to wetlands and coasts.

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 40
• Agility: 60
• Rarity: 50
• Cute factor: 60
• Traveller: 80

Fantastic fact: Apart from Temminck's Stint, there are five other tiny stint-like waders, known as 'peeps' in North America. All are very rare visitors to Britain.

Photograph credit: Photo credit tbc