The Story
This Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) was at Reserva Natural El Encanto de Guanapalo in Casanare, Colombia when I photographed it. In winter plumage it is gray above. The young feed themselves and can fly within about two weeks of hatching. It breeds on tundra and in bogs in northern North America. El Encanto de Guanapalo brings together three ranches, Mata de Palma, Altamira and Montana, in a reserve of almost 9,000 hectares of flooded savanna and gallery forest in San Luis de Palenque. IUCN lists the Least Sandpiper as Near Threatened, with a decreasing population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100. The families who run its ranches work to keep the savanna from being cleared, burned or plowed, and to keep llanero culture alive for the next generation.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) belongs to the family Scolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List
