Tuamotu Sandpiper
Prosobonia parvirostris
The Tuamotu Sandpiper (Prosobonia parvirostris) is a legendary sandpiper found only in French Polynesia, weighing about 36 g. The Tuamotu sandpiper is an endangered member of the large wader family Scolopacidae, that is endemic to the Tuamotu Islands in French Polynesia.
About the Tuamotu Sandpiper
The Tuamotu sandpiper is an endangered member of the large wader family Scolopacidae, that is endemic to the Tuamotu Islands in French Polynesia. It is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Aechmorhynchus. In the local Tuamotuan language, it is apparently called kivi-kivi.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The 15.5–16.5 cm (6.1–6.5 in) long Tuamotu sandpiper is a small, short-winged, mottled brown bird with more or less barred underparts. Its short sharp beak is more like that of an insectivorous passerine than a wader. There are two colour morphs which intergrade. Pale birds are medium brown above and white below, with light barring or spotting on the breast and whitish streaking on the head. The bold supercilium and the chin are also white. The rectrices are brown with white tips and white triangular markings on the outer webs.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: March, April, May, September, October, November, with peak activity in September. It is a passage migrant species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Tuamotu Sandpiper?
- The 15.5–16.5 cm (6.1–6.5 in) long Tuamotu sandpiper is a small, short-winged, mottled brown bird with more or less barred underparts. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Tuamotu Sandpiper?
- The Tuamotu Sandpiper is a small sized bird weighing about 36 g.
- Where can you see a Tuamotu Sandpiper?
- The Tuamotu Sandpiper is endemic to French Polynesia, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Tuamotu Sandpiper?
- The Tuamotu Sandpiper is most easily confused with the Javan Woodcock, the Sulawesi Woodcock and the Fuegian Snipe.
- Is the Tuamotu Sandpiper endangered?
- The Tuamotu Sandpiper is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Tuamotu Sandpiper for real
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