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ShrublandScrapeSmall · 28 g
ID tip
Adults have dark legs and a short, thin, dark bill, thinner at the tip. The body is brown on top and white underneath. They are reddish-brown on the crown. This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny shorebirds, especially the semipalmated sandpiper. This is particularly the case in winter plumage, when both species are plain grey. The western sandpiper acquires winter plumage much earlier in the autumn than the semipalmated sandpiper. Measurements: Length: 14–17 cm (5.5–6.7 in) Wingspan: 35–37 cm (14–15 in) Weight: 22–35 g (0.78–1.23 oz)
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Western Sandpiper
One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 11 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is August, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Western Sandpiper
The map shades 50 countries with regular records, and 12 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in Norway, New Zealand, Netherlands, Taiwan, Brazil, Portugal, France, Argentina, Spain, St. Barthélemy, St. Pierre & Miquelon, China.
About the Western Sandpiper
The western sandpiper is a small migratory shorebird. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific mauri commemorates Italian botanist Ernesto Mauri (1791–1836).
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosThis 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.
RuffCalidris pugnaxThe ruff has a distinctive pot-bellied appearance, with a small head, medium-length bill, longish neck and heavy body.
Red KnotCalidris canutusThe red knot or just knot is a medium-sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia.
Side by side: Semipalmated Sandpiper vs Western Sandpiper · Ruff vs Western Sandpiper · Pectoral Sandpiper vs Western Sandpiper
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