Stint
Encyclopedia
A stint is one of several very small wader
s in the paraphyletic "Calidris" assemblage - often separated in Erolia -, which in North America
are known as peeps. They are scolopacid
waders much similar in ecomorphology
to their distant relatives, the charadriid plovers
.
Some of these bird
s are difficult to identify because of the similarity between species, and various breeding, non-breeding, juvenile and moulting plumages. In addition, some plovers are also similarly patterned, especially in winter. With a few exceptions, stints usually have a fairly stereotypical color pattern, being brownish above and lighter - usually white - on much of the underside. The breast sides are almost always colored like the upperside, and there is usually a lighter supercilium
above brownish cheeks. Notably, golden or orangey colors - common in plovers - are absent.
Calidris is not monophyletic in its traditional delimitations and should be restricted to the stout Red Knot
and its allies. The genus Erolia was often used for the stints ever since it was proposed by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot
in 1816. However, the type species
of Erolia is the Curlew Sandpiper
, which is not traditionally included among the stints.
No firm consensus has been reached on the Curlew Sandpiper's phylogenetic status (i.e., what its closest relatives are) and hence Erolia cannot be exactly delimited at present. This notwithstanding, the stints together with a few slightly more distinct calidrids would indeed warrant separation as a distinct genus. The Sanderling
, sometimes placed in Crocethia, is among these and it may be that this genus name would apply.
The species usually considered stints/peeps are:
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s in the paraphyletic "Calidris" assemblage - often separated in Erolia -, which in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
are known as peeps. They are scolopacid
Scolopacidae
The sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil...
waders much similar in ecomorphology
Ecomorphology
Ecomorphology or Ecological Morphology is studying relationships between morphological and ecological variation. There is modern emphasis on linking the two aspects of variation by measuring the performance of traits associated behaviors, and fitness outcomes of the relationships...
to their distant relatives, the charadriid plovers
Charadriidae
The bird family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings, about 64 to 66 species in all.- Morphology :They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings, but most species of lapwing may have more rounded wings...
.
Some of these bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s are difficult to identify because of the similarity between species, and various breeding, non-breeding, juvenile and moulting plumages. In addition, some plovers are also similarly patterned, especially in winter. With a few exceptions, stints usually have a fairly stereotypical color pattern, being brownish above and lighter - usually white - on much of the underside. The breast sides are almost always colored like the upperside, and there is usually a lighter supercilium
Supercilium
The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head. Also known as an "eyebrow", it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line which runs...
above brownish cheeks. Notably, golden or orangey colors - common in plovers - are absent.
Systematics and taxonomy
The genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Calidris is not monophyletic in its traditional delimitations and should be restricted to the stout Red Knot
Red Knot
The Red Knot, Calidris canutus , is a medium sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is a large member of the Calidris sandpipers, second only to the Great Knot...
and its allies. The genus Erolia was often used for the stints ever since it was proposed by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot was a French ornithologist.Vieillot described a large number of birds for the first time, especially those he encountered during the time he spent in the West Indies and North America, and 26 genera established by him are still in use...
in 1816. However, the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of Erolia is the Curlew Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
The Curlew Sandpiper is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia. It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australasia...
, which is not traditionally included among the stints.
No firm consensus has been reached on the Curlew Sandpiper's phylogenetic status (i.e., what its closest relatives are) and hence Erolia cannot be exactly delimited at present. This notwithstanding, the stints together with a few slightly more distinct calidrids would indeed warrant separation as a distinct genus. The Sanderling
Sanderling
The Sanderling is a small wader. It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to South America, South Europe, Africa, and Australia...
, sometimes placed in Crocethia, is among these and it may be that this genus name would apply.
The species usually considered stints/peeps are:
- Semipalmated SandpiperSemipalmated SandpiperThe Semipalmated Sandpiper, Calidris pusilla, is a very small shorebird. It is sometimes separated with other "stints" in Erolia but although these apparently form a monophyletic group, the present species' old genus Ereunetes had been proposed before Erolia.Adults have black legs and a short stout...
, Calidris pusilla or Erolia pusilla - Western SandpiperWestern SandpiperThe Western Sandpiper, Calidris or Erolia mauri, is a small shorebird.Adults have dark legs and a short thin dark bill, thinner at the tip. The body is brown on top and white underneath. They are reddish-brown on the crown. This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny...
, Calidris mauri or Erolia mauri - Red-necked StintRed-necked StintThe Red-necked Stint is a small migratory wader.- Description :These birds are among the smallest of waders, very similar to the Little Stint, Calidris minuta, with which they were once considered conspecific...
, Calidris ruficollis or Erolia ruficollis - Little StintLittle StintThe Little Stint, Calidris minuta , is a very small wader. It breeds in arctic Europe and Asia, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to Africa and south Asia...
, Calidris minuta or Erolia minuta - Temminck's StintTemminck's StintTemminck's Stint, Calidris or Erolia temminckii, is a small wader.This stint's breeding habitat is bogs and marshes in the taiga of Arctic northern Europe and Asia. It will breed in southern Scandinavia and occasionally Scotland. It has a distinctive hovering display flight. It nests in a scrape...
, Calidris temminckii or Erolia temminckii - Long-toed StintLong-toed StintThe Long-toed Stint, Calidris or Erolia subminuta, is a small wader bird. It breeds across northern Asia and is strongly migratory, wintering in south and south east Asia and Australasia...
, Calidris subminuta or Erolia subminuta - Least SandpiperLeast SandpiperThe Least Sandpiper is the smallest shorebird.This species has greenish legs and a short thin dark bill. Breeding adults are brown with dark brown streaks on top and white underneath. They have a light line above the eye and a dark crown. In winter, Least Sandpipers are grey above...
, Calidris minutilla or Erolia minutilla - White-rumped SandpiperWhite-rumped SandpiperThe White-rumped Sandpiper is a small shorebird.Adults have black legs and a small thin dark bill. The body is dark brown on top and mainly white underneath, with brown streaks on the breast and a white rump. They have a white stripe over their eyes. This bird shows long wings in flight. In winter...
, Calidris fuscicollis or Erolia fuscicollis - Baird's SandpiperBaird's SandpiperThe Baird's Sandpiper is a small shorebird. It is among those calidrids sometimes separated in Erolia.Adults have black legs and a short thin dark bill. They are dark brown on top and mainly white underneath with a black patch on the rump. The head and breast are light brown with dark streaks. In...
, Calidris bairdii or Erolia bairdii