Wild Bird Wednesday 650 - Pectoral Sandpiper

The Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) is an uncommon - and probably under-recorded - bird in Australia.  It is a small, migratory wader that breeds in North America and Asia, wintering in South America and Oceania.

In Australia, it may be missed when it occurs in small numbers in flocks of the otherwise more abundant Sharptailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata)

There are a number of differences between 'Pec Sands' and 'Sharpies' - none of which are utterly definitive for identification, but are used in combination to split these two bird species.

The most obvious differences in that in the 'Pec Sands' there is a clear boundary between the heavily streaked breast feathers and the much cleaner under areas.  The beak is also somewhat larger in the 'Pec Sand', with an extensive off-yellow base and a slightly down turned tip.  Finally the vent and under tail of the 'Pec Sand' is clean white, compared to the often streaked underside of a Sharpie.

All this being said, at a distance, and with our near ubiquitous heat hazes, it can still be a bit of a headache to tell the two species apart.

Many of the classic Pec Sand features can be seen in this image - bill shape and colour, the clear cut chest marking and the clean white flanks.

The middle bird (working backwards) in this image is a Sharpie - I think you can see the smaller beak, much reduced yellow base to the beak and the flecking on the flanks.

The following image is a Sharpie - just to show the similarity between the two species.

Well, waders can be a bit of a challenge - but with a bit of effort even I am making progress on their identification!

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