Pectoral Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos
(Scolopacidae)

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8.25 inches long. The Pectoral Sandpiper is a medium-sized shorebird with scaly, dark brown upperparts and yellowish legs. The heavily brown-streaked breast contrasts sharply with the white belly. The streaked crown is rusty. The bill droops and is black at the tip, and yellowish-brown at the base. In flight, the tail shows a dark stripe down the middle, with white on either side. The upper wing has a very narrow stripe.

 

The Pectoral Sandpiper is common in the Omaha area during spring (April and May) migration and fall migration (late June, July and early September). It might be uncommonly seen in Fontenelle Forest at a wet area such as along the shore of the Great Marsh.

 

Pectoral Sandpipers breed on arctic tundra from Alaska to Hudson Bay. They spend winters in South America. Preferred habitats include marshes and grassy pools. The breeding male Pectoral Sandpiper has an inflatable throat sac which expands and contracts rhythmically during display flights.

 

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