This shorebird breeds in Arctic North America and migrates as far south as South America. It searches mud and sand for crabs with its long curved bill.
It is brownish, with a striped head and a very long bill that curves downward.
It nests on Arctic tundra and uses mudflats, beaches, and salt marshes during migration and winter. It probes mud and sand for crabs and other marine invertebrates.
It lays 2–4 eggs in a shallow, leaf-, grass- or lichen-lined bowl on a dry hummock or ridge near a shrub. Both sexes incubate for 22–28 days. Active, downy chicks may leave within one or two hours.
It extracts crabs from burrows, rinses off mud and usually removes the largest claw before eating. On arrival at breeding grounds and during autumn migration it also eats berries such as crowberries and blueberries.
The dark brown crown has a pale central stripe, and most birds show a narrow dark eyeline. Brown upperparts have pale feather edges, while tan underparts carry fine dark stippling.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.