Upland sandpiper
Bartramia longicauda
Identification Tips:
- Long-legged, small-headed, long-necked shorebird of grasslands
- Legs yellow
- Thin, short bill
- Very large dark eye stands out against pale face
- Black rump and long tail, with dark bars
- Dark outer wing contrasts with brownish inner wing in flight
- Often perches on fence posts or stumps
- Sexes similar
Adult:
- Dark cap
- Pale head and neck streaked with brown
- Whitish eyering and throat, pale lores
- Brown back and wing coverts with pale edges and black bars
- Buff neck and breast and white belly with dark chevrons on neck, breast and
flanks
Juvenile:
- Very pale head without the contrast between the cap and face of
the adult
Similar species:
Buff-breasted Sandpiper has a similar shape, but is much
smaller and has a plain buff face and underparts, with spots rather
than chevrons on sides of neck and breast, a shorter tail,
and bright silvery wing linings.