Pectoral Sandpiper
Calidris melanotos
Also known as: Pond Bird
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
80 g
About This Species
Forages on mudflats, flooded grassland and wet meadows, probing and picking at the surface with a steady, methodical action distinct from the faster movements of some other sandpipers. It breeds on Arctic tundra and undertakes one of the longest migrations of any shorebird to reach wintering grounds in South America, so look for it at wetland stopover sites during spring and especially autumn migration. Grassy, damp margins rather than open mud or water are often the best places to check.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep at least 30 metres back from feeding or roosting birds, since migrating shorebirds need to conserve energy for long onward flights and repeated flushing can be costly.
- It is protected under migratory bird law in the countries along its flyway, including the US, Canada, and much of South America, though the specifics vary by country, so avoid assuming one jurisdiction's rules cover the whole route.
- Approaching from downwind or using existing paths and hides rather than walking across wet meadows minimises disturbance to feeding flocks.
LCAvesCharadriiformesScolopacidae
Seasonal Activity
796,603 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 80 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.