Curlew sandpiper
Calidris ferruginea
Identification Tips:
- Medium-sized shorebird
- Decurved bill
- Black legs
- White rump
- White wing stripe
- Sexes similar
- Rare in United States
Adult alternate:
- Reddish-brown head, mantle, breast, and belly
- Black bases to back feathers
- White undertail coverts with dark spots
Adult basic:
- Gray head with white supercilium
- Gray breast with indistinct streaking
- Gray upperparts
- White belly and undertail coverts
Juvenile:
- Similar to adult basic
- Mantle black with thin pale white edging
- Head and breast with brownish wash
Similar species:
In alternate plumage, the reddish-brown plumage is diagnostic. The Dunlin
also has a decurved bill but lacks a white rump. Stilt Sandpiper has
greenish legs and a thicker bill. Other similar-sized shorebirds lack the
decurved bill.