Bird Guide

Pectoral Sandpiper vs Ruff

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Medium80 gWetland

This bird looks similar to the widely sympatric sharp-tailed sandpiper (C. acuminata), which is not however a member of the same clade in the genus. The pectoral sandpiper is a largish calidrid (19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in) in length, with a wingspan of 37–46 cm (15–18 in)) with a grey-brown back, brownest in the summer male, and greyest in winter. The pectoral sandpiper has a grey breast, sharply demarcated at its lower edge, which gives this species its English name; this clear dividing line is particularly conspicuous if the birds are turned towards the observer.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: USFWSAlaska · Public domain
Ruff (Calidris pugnax)

Ruff

Calidris pugnax

Medium132 gWetland

The ruff has a distinctive pot-bellied appearance, with a small head, medium-length bill, longish neck and heavy body. It has long legs that are variable in colour, being dark greenish in juveniles, pink to orange in adults with some males having reddish orange legs only during the breeding season. In flight, it has a deeper, slower wing stroke than other waders of a similar size, and displays a thin, indistinct white bar on the wing, and white ovals on the sides of the tail. The species shows sexual dimorphism.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sheelagh Halsey · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

And 55 more countries.

Learn this pair in BeakBrain

Photo and call practice, free in any browser.

Play BeakBrain

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Pectoral Sandpiper and Ruff.