Species
Calidris pusilla (Semipalmated sandpiper)
Calidris pusilla. Photo: (c) Greg Lasley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
The semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) is a very small shorebird. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific pusilla is Latin for “very small”.