Pectoral Sandpiper - Caladris melanotos

Pectoral Sandpiper
(Caladris melanotos)

Brazil

The Pectoral Sandpiper breeds on the arctic tundra of North America and Siberia but almost all winter in South America. They begin to migrate south in about July and return north from March to early June.

They generally migrate in fairly small flocks but the flock at Palmarí shown in the first 3 photos consisted of 65 individuals which I believe is larger than usual. The flock alternated their feeding between the sandy bank of the River Javarí and an area of cane grass adjacent to the bank.

The breast is buffy with fine brown streaks and it is sharply cut off from the white underparts, hence its English name.

On the other hand, the bird shown in the last 3 photos was a solitary individual on the banks of the rio Negro.

The legs are greenish yellow, the bill is thin and there is a whitish supercilium. In flight it shows a faint wing-bar and white edges to a black rump.

Pectoral Sandpiper, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas, Brazil, August 2004 - click for larger image

There is an illustration in Shorebirds, Plate 82.

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