Sandpipers, Phalaropes

Semipalmated Sandpiper, Calidris pusilla

Family Scolopacidae (Sandpipers, Phalaropes)

Size: 6"

Season: Spring and fall migrant

Habitat: Coastal beaches, mudflats

The semipalmated sandpiper is similar to the slightly larger western sandpiper, but it is present only during spring and fall migrations between breeding regions in northern Canada and Alaska and wintering grounds in South America. One of the “peeps,” or very small sandpipers, it is a plump little shorebird with dark legs and a thin, straight bill (unlike the slightly drooping bill of the western sandpiper). Breeding plumage is mottled brownish and black above and white below, with limited dark streaking on the breast. Evident in flight are the white underwings, dark upperwings with a thin, white stripe, and a dark central stripe on the otherwise white tail. Winter plumage is grayer overall on the upperparts, head, and breast. This species is named because of the slight webbing between the toes, but this is difficult to discern in the field. They typically form large flocks as they scurry along the sand and mud, pecking for aquatic invertebrates. The breeding (bottom) and nonbreeding (top) adults are illustrated.