Smallest of the Asian curlews, just larger than a snipe.
Not listed
At a glance
FamilySandpipers and Allies
SizeMedium
RarityUncommon
HabitatFound in open fields, grasslands, and pastures and also on coastal mudflats during migration.
Best timeMost reliable in Northern Territory from October.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Bo Shunqi 薄顺奇
Range map
Range map
366visible hotspots
3101visible records
5states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Large eyes give this bird a gentle appearance. Paler and more warmly colored than other curlews, Little also lacks the pale rump of Eurasian and Far Eastern and lacks the strong facial stripes and longer bill of Whimbrel.
Behavior
Found in open fields, grasslands, and pastures and also on coastal mudflats during migration. Flight call a high-pitched, ringing “pipipi”, higher than Whimbrel’s.
Gallery
Regional timing
Northern Territory
Queensland
Western Australia
South Australia
New South Wales
Victoria
Commonly confused with
RuffCalidris pugnaxMedium-sized with fairly short, slightly drooped bill. Leg color varies from dull greenish to bright orange; bill can be entirely dark or mostly orange. Plumage highly variable, especially breeding males, which have fancy neck ruffs that can be black, white, buffy, reddish-brown, or any combination thereof. Females and nonbreeding birds can be confusing, usually plain grayish-brown overall, sometimes with blotchy markings on the neck and belly. Juveniles are bright buffy with neat scaly patterning on the upperparts. Flight often rather lazy, with deep floppy wingbeats; note white underwings, white sides to rump, and feet projecting well past tail. Males are much larger than females. Breeds in bogs and wet grassy meadows across northern Eurasia; winters mainly in Africa but also across India and Southeast Asia. Migrants occur in almost any wetland habitat, from reservoirs and fields to coastal mudflats.→Wandering TattlerTringa incanaElongated, horizontal posture. In breeding plumage, look for jaggedly barred underparts and thin white eyebrow; similar in winter but with plainer gray underparts. Sometimes close to other rock-loving shorebirds like turnstones, Surfbird, and Rock Sandpiper. Compare with extremely similar Gray-tailed Tattler, which overlaps extensively in range in western Alaska, the South Pacific, Australia, and parts of Asia. Wandering is more closely associated with rocky habitats as opposed to beaches and mudflats, but this shouldn’t be used as a definitive field mark. Plumage differences are very subtle. In breeding plumage, Wandering averages coarser and more extensive barring on underparts, and juveniles usually have darker gray flanks. All ages have a longer groove on the upper mandible.→Terek SandpiperXenus cinereusPlumage gray overall with white belly, but in flight shows conspicuous white trailing edge to wings. Breeds in valley floodplains in tundra and taiga.→