Pectoral Sandpiper
Learn to identify the Pectoral Sandpiper by ear. Master the "low-pitched ‘whooo, whooo, whooo…’" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the Pectoral Sandpiper sounds like
Low, hollow hoots fill the opening; later the track switches to a rough, jabbering series of calls.
How to tell it apart
Where you'll hear it
Long-distance migrant: Arctic North America and Siberia (breeding) → South America, Australia, New Zealand (non-breeding). Rare but regular transient across Europe, Africa, and Pacific islands.
Breeds in wet, grassy Arctic tundra with sedges and moss hummocks; on migration uses freshwater marshes, flooded fields, sod farms, coastal lagoons, and the muddy margins of ponds and lakes.
Breeds June–August; southbound migration July–October; on wintering grounds September–April; northbound migration March–June.
How to recognize it by sight
Medium-sized, strongly patterned shorebird notable for its heavily streaked breast that ends abruptly in a sharp boundary against a clean white belly, creating the impression of a “pectoral” band. Long-distance migrant that breeds on Arctic tundra and spends the non-breeding season as far south as Tierra del Fuego.
Similar species
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Rustier cap with distinct white supercilium
Least Sandpiper
Much smaller with shorter neck
White-rumped Sandpiper
Unstreaked grayish breast