Species:

Steller's Eider (Polysticta stelleri)

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)

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Length (cm):
43-47
19-21
Wingspan (cm):
70-76
56-57
Weight (gram):
670-1000
50-80
Size group:
Crow-size
Thrush-size
Main Texts:
Appearance:

Diagnostic, squarish head profile with flat crown, high bill base, steep forehead in all plumages. Male unmistakable with white and orange-buff underparts, white head with dark eye-patch, black collar and black back. Female mottled brown, but distinguished by head profile and blue wingbar with white edges. Identifiable at a distance by its habit of holding the tail raised clear of the water like a dabbling duck.

Sound:

Male seldom heard. Display sound probably a clear whistle rising slightly and then falling in pitch, a bit like Golden Plover. Female more noisy with indistinct guttural sounds.

Display-calls:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

CC

Sounds:Recorded by Andrew Spencer,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license

Appearance:

An energetic, small tringa wader. Most similar to Green Sandpiper. Differs by light underwings, larger white spots on back, diffuse border between speckled chest and white belly, narrower dark markings on tail and a supercilium that reaches behind eye. Plumage leaves an overall much paler impression than Green Sandpiper, particularly in flight.

Sound:

Totally different from Green Sandpiper. Flight call a soft, but explosive "whiff whiff" , sometimes with only one syllable. Display call similar to redshank but with only two accented beats; a fast melodious "dee-loo", repeated in cycles.

Song:

Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file


Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Similar species (image):
Similar species (sound):
Silhouette Group:
Duck-like
Silhouette
Waders
Silhouette
Several different images of the species
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Several different sounds of the species
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file