Fun Temminck's Stint Facts For Kids

The Temminck's stint (Calidris temminckii) is a small-sized wader of the family Scolopacidae. The Temminck's stint bird has pale and dark brown, rufous, and white colors on the body. The common name Temminck honors Coenraad Jacob Temminck, the Dutch naturalist. Calidris is an Ancient Greek derivation of 'skalidris' or 'kalidris', which were used by Aristotle for some other gray waterside bird species. The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies to these birds. The birds of the Calidris genus are migratory and Arctic-breeding wading sandpipers. In winter, these birds form large flocks near estuaries and coasts.

There are 24 described species within this genus. Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, a French polymath, introduced this family in 1815. More often, this family is divided into groups of identical birds. The majority of the birds in this family feed on invertebrates that they pick out of soil or mud. There are around 15 genera within this family.

If you liked reading these fun Temminck's stint facts, then do check out more facts about the northern gannet and Sarus crane.

What type of animal is a Temminck's stint?

The Temminck's stint (Calidris temminckii) is a small-sized wader of the order Charadriiformes and phylum Chordata. This bird has a distinctive feeding pattern and the bird moves along the edges of water with a mouse-like movement. There have been reports about a hybrid between this stint and the little stint (Calidris minuta). This is a migratory bird and it takes up to a month to complete the migration. This bird is not so gregarious unlike other birds of Calidris and does not form huge flocks. This stint is territorial and diurnal.

What class of animal does a Temminck's stint belong to?

This stint belongs to the class of Aves of animals.

How many Temminck's stints are there in the world?

The population number of this bird is currently 110,000-850,000 adult individuals according to BirdLife International. It is unknown whether the population is increasing or decreasing.

Where does a Temminck's stint live?

The Temminck's stint range of habitat extends through Taiga in the Arctic, northern Europe, and Asia which are breeding ranges of this bird. This breeding range covers Scandinavia across north-west Russia and north Siberia, east towards Anadyrland and Chukotskiy Peninsula, and sometimes in Britain. Their winter range includes north tropical Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean, across India and Indochina to southern China, south Ryukyu Islands, and Taiwan. You can also spot these tints south of Borneo and the peninsular Malaysia. It sometimes a rare visitor to the Philippines.

What is a Temminck's stint's habitat?

The range of this bird's habitat includes tundra, woodland fringes, areas with short grass and shrubs, marshes, pools. These regions are mainly where they breed. During winter, they mainly occupy wetlands, particularly freshwater areas like sewage farms, vegetated wetlands, and irrigated fields. This bird species also occupies coastal salt-water and open coastal habitats. They use buildings or boulders as song perches.

Who do Temminck's stints live with?

This bird either lives in a feeding and foraging flock or breeding pairs.

How long does a Temminck's stint live?

The lifespan of this bird species is around seven years.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season of this species is in spring and the egg-laying takes place in late May to early June. The breeding adult male performs a display in flight, circling or hovering for several minutes with singing. The bird flies over their territory spreading its tail and the wings are held up in a V-shape. The pair bond between the Temminck's stint female and male lasts for a week and some males might involve in extra-pair copulation if they are not incubating. This bird is territorial until incubation. They build a nest in loose colonies and the nests are placed at a distance less than 0.11 miles (180 m) apart.

They build their best on the ground in a shallow depression in low or open vegetation. They line the nest with moss, leaves, and stems. The female lays two to four cryptic Temminck's stint eggs. The female starts producing the second clutch almost immediately, around two to nine days after the first clutch. Nest failure happens due to nest predation and flooding.

What is their conservation status?

 The conservation status of this stint is evaluated as Least Concern by the IUCN and Birdlife International. However, data on whether this population is increasing or decreasing is not available. Some threats these birds face are nest predation by both mammals and birds, human interference with recreational activities, and habitat destruction due to overgrazing.

What do Temminck's stints look like?

These birds are a tiny and short-legged bird species. The breeding plumage feathers are dull and plain gray and have olive-brown upper parts. A fresh plumage of upper parts has black centers, gray tips, and pale rufous fringes. The tail is similar to the upperparts that have a darker central pair and white outer rectrices in contrast to the little stint's gray outer tail feathers. The rump feathers have the same pattern. They have white chin, throat, belly, and underparts. These birds have gray-brown breasts with brown streaks. Their head is gray-brown, the underwing is white, and they have gray across their primary coverts. They have a black bill that has a paler base on the lower mandible.

The bill is slender and tapered. They have dark brown eyes and varying green to yellow feet and legs unlike the little stint that has dark legs. Both sexes are similar in appearance. The plumage upper parts and head of non-breeding adults are dark gray-brown. They have dull gray-brown breasts with a pale center. They also have buff-brown breast bands. Their feet and legs are bright yellow and their throat and chin are white. The chick is similar to non-breeding adults. The general winter appearance is similar to the common sandpiper.

How cute are they?

These tiny and short waders are considered cute.

How do they communicate?

These birds communicate through song, body language, and visuals. They have a loud trill which is a distinctive cricket-like trill.

How big is a Temminck's stint?

This bird species is 5.3-5.9 in (13.5-15 cm) in length. The Temminck's stint wingspan is 13.3-14.5 in (34-37 cm). These waders are similar in size and length to the little stint. These birds are almost half the size in length of the stilt sandpiper.

How fast can a Temminck's stint fly?

The flight speed of these birds is not known.

How much does a Temminck's stint weigh?

The weight of this bird species is 0.03-0.079 lb (15-36 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There is no specific name given to Temminck's stint male and female birds.

What would you call a baby Temminck's stint?

There is no specific name given to a Temminck's stint baby.

What do they eat?

The diet of these birds is omnivorous. They forage around water edges by pecking for prey from the surface. This bird rarely probes with their bill. They feed on insects and insect larvae like craneflies, beetles, and midges, crustaceans like sand fleas, annelids, and small mollusks.

Are they dangerous?

No, they are not dangerous to human beings.

Would they make a good pet?

No, these wild birds would not make great pets. They thrive around their natural geographic habitat.

Did you know...

The little stint has dark legs and is a fine dark species. These birds have sharp 'stit' calls.

A group or flock of stints is called a spell of stints.

Ruddy turnstones, mews, or common gulls are nest predators mainly in Finland. Some predators of these birds are weasels, foxes, gulls like laughing gulls.

Do Temminck's stints migrate?

Yes, these birds do migrate. They migrate across North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. After the young fledge, these birds migrate to the south to their wintering grounds. The juvenile bird species move to their breeding grounds after wintering in early August. Some of them may also winter in Europe as far north as Britain. They breed between May and July. They usually migrate in small flocks or on their own.

Who are Temminck's stints named after?

The common name 'Temminck' honors Coenraad Jacob Temminck who is a Dutch naturalist.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these giant bill facts and hamerkop facts for kids.

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