General Description: Least Sandpipers (Calidris minutilla) are very small, short-legged shorebirds that are dark-mottled gray above and white under, with a short-thin bill that droops slightly at the tip, and bright yellow legs. During the breeding season, the breast is heavily streaked with dark brown; otherwise it is white. The key is to look for yellow legs on a small, short-legged sandpiper.

Taxonomy: Charadriiformes, Scolopacidae, Scolopacinae.

Favored Habitat: Edges of ponds and marshes; mudflats.

Where to Find: Around Las Vegas, look for Least Sandpipers at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, the Pahranagat Valley, and the Overton Wildlife Management Area.

Comments: