BirdWatching USA – September-October 2019

The other tattler

The Wandering Tattler might

seem unique among North

American sandpipers, but it has

a close relative, Gray-tailed

Tattler. It breeds in Siberia and

regularly shows up as a migrant

on western Alaskan islands,

sometimes on the mainland, and

very rarely south of Alaska.

Gray-tailed and Wandering

Tattlers are similar in all plum-

ages, not always safely identifi-

able by sight. Gray-tailed tends

to be paler gray above. In

breeding plumage, the barring

on its underparts is less exten-

sive, leaving part of the belly

white, but a Wandering in molt

can look similar. The juvenile

Gray-tailed has slightly larger

white spots on the edges of the

scapulars, coverts, and tertials.

Winter plumaged birds are

usually whiter on the flanks, not

strongly washed with gray as in

Wandering Tattler. In all plum-

ages, the pale eyebrow on

Gray-tailed tends to be wider.

In addition, Gray-tailed Tattler

has less affinity for rocky places

and is more likely to forage on

open mudflats or sandy areas.

Perhaps reflecting this differ-

ence, Wandering Tattler has

subtly thicker legs, which could

be an adaptation for clambering

over rough surfaces.

To identify a tattler out of

range, though, it would be

important to hear the voice.

Wandering Tattler gives a

rippling series of clear, piping

notes in rapid succession,

tu-tu-tu-tu-tu. The call of the

Gray-tailed is a rising, whistled

too-weeap, an utterly different

sound, belying the similar

appearance of the species.

In the field, the main ID contender with Wandering
Tattler is the Spotted Sandpiper in winter plumage.
Its walking behavior — bobbing the rear part of the
body up and down — is surprisingly similar. Both
birds have mostly plain upperparts, fairly short
yellow legs, and a similar face pattern. The overall
color tone differs: The sandpiper looks browner,

and the tattler wears grayer tones, but this can be

hard to judge in the harsh light along an open

shoreline. On Spotted Sandpiper, a white mark

extending up in front of the wing is usually a good

field mark. In flight, it shows a conspicuous white

wing stripe, a clear distinction from the tattler’s

unmarked gray wings.

Its total breeding range is small, and its population is
thought to be fewer than 25,000, but the wintering
range of the Wandering Tattler is very thinly spread
across edges and islands of the vast Pacific Ocean.
Most sandpipers of rocky shorelines (including Black
Turnstone, Ruddy Turnstone, Surfbird, and Rock
Sandpiper) are regularly seen in flocks, but

Wandering Tattlers are usually seen singly. A lone

gray bird foraging among gray rocks is easy to

overlook. Often, we notice the tattler first when it

takes flight, with loud “tattling” calls. Its flight

pattern — plain gray above, with no white on the

wings, rump, or tail — is a good distinction from

other shorebirds that share the same habitat.

Spotted Sandpiper, non-breeding adult January in San Diego Cty, California

Wandering Tattler, non-breeding adult August in Ventura County, California

46 BirdWatching • September/October 2019