People frequently have trouble learning to identify sanderling (Calidris alba ), vs semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla ). Breeding and wintering ranges of the Semipalmated Sandpiper. Least Sandpipers are the smallest of the small sandpipers known as “peeps”—not much bigger than a sparrow. Limosa (godwits) and Arenaria (turnstones) Medium-sized Large (size > Willet) Genus Numenius (the “curlews”) LONG … By floraphile, March 4 in Help Me Identify a North American Bird. The legs of the adult are black, distinguishing this bird from the yellow-legged Least Sandpiper. Semipalmated Sandpipers winter mostly in South America, and studies have shown that they may make a non-stop flight of nearly 2000 miles from New England or eastern Canada to the South American coast. Both are relatively small and have similar markings. Western Sandpiper. Shorter, blunter bill than Western without rufous tones in summer. The Western Sandpiper is the only other small sandpiper with similarly webbed toes. Sign in to follow this . I was just comparing against the pictures in the Sibley book and both the bill & the plumage pattern looks like a non-breeding Sanderling, however there is a lot of brownish feathers like a Semipalmated Sandpiper. The body is brown on top and white underneath. The foraging behavior of Semipalmated Sandpipers in the upper Bay of Fundy: Stereotyped or prey-sensitive? Both are relatively small and have similar markings. vs semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla ). Look for them on edges of mudflats or marshes, where they walk with a hunched posture and probe for little crustaceans, insects, and other invertebrates. Winters in South America; very rarely lingers in the U.S., unlike Western Sandpiper. ?Western Sandpiper vs Semipalmated WhatBird Forum Rules. SAND semipalmated sandpiper - SESA. The dainty Semipalmated Sandpiper is named for the partial webbing between its toes; the word “palmate” means webbed. ; photographer Arthur Morris. Upland Sandpiper Hudsonian Godwit Semipalmated Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Baird’s Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Wilson’s Phalarope. The specific pusilla is Latin for "very small".. A large part of learning to tell them apart is gaining experience seeing them in the field under a variety of conditions. October Western Sandpipers made Easy ... And also thanks to RC for discussing the difference in moult of Western vs Semipalmated Sandpiper in October which was already spelled out in the great book The Shorebird Guide (O'Brien, Crossley & Karlson 2006) had I cared to read that part! Often hard to see, this adaptation allows the birds to easily walk without sinking over the mud flats where they feed. Wintering in South America not shown. Often hard to see, this adaptation allows the birds to easily walk without sinking over the mud flats where they feed. It often gathers by the thousands at stopover points during migration. They have distinctive yellow-green legs and a high-pitched creep call. Juveniles look similar to adults in breeding plumage, and rarely have the rufous coloration seen on juvenile Western and Least Sandpipers. Small shorebird, falls into group called "peeps." Adults have dark legs and a short, thin, dark bill, thinner at the tip. It is named for the partial webbing between its toes (“palmated” means “webbed”). And their foot is partially webbed, for which they are named. And it is pretty easy if the two are side by side. Often in large flocks on mudflats, sometimes beaches. June. Paler and grayer-brown than Least. 1) Large 2)Medium 3) Small Shorebirds Made Easy Courtesy: Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences .