Baird’s Sandpiper is a small “peep” shorebird measuring just 5.5–7.1 inches in length with a wingspan of 13.8–15.0 inches. Adults show warm brown-and-black mottling above and white underparts with a buff-streaked breast; in flight their long, tapering wings project well beyond the tail. In Arizona, they are regular but generally uncommon fall migrants, most often seen in tight flocks probing mudflats and ephemeral wetlands—such as playa lakes, irrigation ponds, and river edges—in August and September. These birds forage by picking insects, spiders, and small crustaceans from soft substrates, and although primarily encountered in the fall, occasional northbound spring records turn up at major stopover sites like Alamo Lake State Park and Cibola National Wildlife Refuge.
