ID TIPS: Pectoral Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper, adult
April in Galveston County, Texas
THE NAME “SANDPIPER” is a poor fit for most members of the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae. A few species, such as Sanderling and Red Knot, show a preference for sandy shores, but the majority are “mudpipers,” seeking out muddy pond edges, estuaries, or tidal flats. A few are “grasspipers,” often in open fields far from the water’s edge. The Pectoral Sandpiper, a long-distance migrant from southern latitudes to the high Arctic regions of North America and Siberia, is a classic example of the “grasspipers.”
On average, compared to other bird groups, sandpipers and other shorebirds tend to migrate late in spring and early in fall. The Pectoral Sandpiper breaks that pattern, beginning to move north quite early in spring. Even though the species winters in South
