What is a Pectoral sandpiper?

The pectoral sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) is a small, migratory wader that breeds in North America and Asia, wintering in South America and Oceania. It eats small invertebrates. The pectoral sandpiper is 21 cm (8.3 in) long, with a wingspan of 46 cm (18 in).

Does the Pectoral sandpiper migrate?

Pectoral Sandpipers nest from the tundra of easternmost Russia across Alaska and into northern Canada. A few migrate to Australasia for the winter, but most winter in southern South America. This means that some Pectoral Sandpipers make a round-trip migration of nearly 19,000 miles every year!

How did the pectoral sandpiper get its name?

The name “Pectoral” refers to the inflatable air sac on the male’s chest, puffed out during his bizarre hooting flight display over the Arctic tundra. This is one of the “grasspipers,” more likely to be seen in grassy marshes or wet fields than on wide-open mudflats.

Why is the pectoral sandpiper on the yellow watch list?

On their tundra breeding grounds, males perform an unforgettable display flight in which they inflate and deflate an air sac in the breast to create low-pitched hooting sounds. Like many shorebirds, Pectoral Sandpiper populations are declining, and this species is on the Partners in Flight Yellow Watch List.

Where do pectoral sandpipers migrate in the spring?

Its spring migration is mostly through the Great Plains, with smaller numbers east to the Atlantic; the species is found coast to coast in fall, but is still scarcer in the west. The name “Pectoral” refers to the inflatable air sac on the male’s chest, puffed

How to tell if a sandpiper is male or female?

Beefy, medium-sized sandpiper. Brown-toned overall with yellowish legs. Slightly curved bill pale at base. Look for dense breast streaking with abrupt border at white belly. Males are much larger than females, and have a large air sac in the throat which they inflate during breeding display.