BirdTab LogoBirdTab

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Least Concern (IUCN Red List)Sandpipers and Allies
Pectoral Sandpiper, photographed by Ben Ackerley

Photo: Ben Ackerley · iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC 4.0 (licence)

Add to my checklistRange map and sightings on eBird

Call and song

About the Pectoral Sandpiper

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. Plumage and yellow legs might recall Least Sandpiper, but Pectoral is much larger and looks longer-necked. Compare with Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, which is brighter overall and has a more distinct dark cap. Breeds on tundra in the high Arctic. Winters mainly in southern South America, but small numbers also winter in Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Typically seen in small flocks in muddy marshes or wet grassy habitats, sometimes mixed with other shorebirds. Much less common on open mudflats or beaches. Listen for low, trilled calls.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 155 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

More sandpipers and allies