Charadriiformes I

1. Charadriiformes I Charadriidae Haematopodidae Recurvirostridae Scolopacidae

2. Charadriiformes: Shorebirds, Gulls, and Allies • Field Marks: • Range in size from tiny shorebirds to large gulls • Bill long and slender, or compressed and straight or hooked • Body may be compact or long-legged and long-necked • Feet may be anisodactyl, tridactyl, lobed, semipalmate, or palmate • Usually long, pointed wings and short tail • Plumage usually cryptically colored • Life History: • Most eat invertebrates • Inhabit a range of aquatic habitats • Distribution: • Up to 336 species in 18 families • Found worldwide

3. Charadriidae: Plovers and Lapwings • Field Marks: • Small to medium-size shorebirds • Round heads, large eyes, thick necks • Usually short, straight, thick bills with a slight swelling at the tip • Bill never longer than distance from base of bill to back of the eye • Feet with rudimentary hallux; sometimes partially webbed • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: • Coastal estuaries, mudflats, interior lake shorelines, grasslands • Life History: • Eat mainly invertebrates • Typically locate food visually and pluck prey with bill • Many species migratory • Mostly solitary nesters and seasonally monogamous • Among oldest on record: more than 20 yrs • Distribution: • 66 species in 10 genera worldwide • 12 breeding species in North America

4. Haematopodidae: Oystercatchers • Field Marks: • Large, bulky shorebirds • Predominantly black or black and white • Long, laterally compressed, reddish-orange bills • Bill longer than head • Yellow eyes with reddish-orange eye-rings • Thick, sturdy, semi-palmated, tridactyl feet • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Rocky coasts or tidal flats • Life History: • Eat mainly bivalve mollusks, plus other invertebrates • Pry items from rocks with bill, or probe in mud for prey • Many non-migratory • Monogamous, and strong territory and mate fidelity over many years • Among oldest on record: 43 yrs 6 mos • Distribution: • 10 species in 1 genus worldwide • 2 breeding species in North America

5. Recurvirostridae: Stilts and Avocets • Field Marks: • Tall, slim shorebirds • Long, slender legs and necks • Long, thin bills, straight or recurved • Bill longer than head • Feet semipalmated, with rudimentary hallux • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: • Fresh or saltwater marshes, lake shores, coastal estuaries • Life History: • Eat invertebrates and small vertebrates • Catch prey with bill while wading in shallow water or mud • Northern populations migratory • Often nest in loose colonies; seasonally monogamous • Among oldest on record: 24 yrs • Distribution: • 9 species in 3 genera worldwide • 2 breeding species in North America

6. Scolopacidae: Sandpipers, Phalaropes, and Allies • Field Marks: • Range from small to large • Variation in length of neck and legs • Variation in bill length and shape • Long, tapered wings • Long toes with little to no webbing • All have short, elevated hallux (except Sanderling) • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: • Usually near water, but also grasslands, forests, open ocean • Life History: • Eat invertebrates, and sometimes small amphibians, fish, seeds, fruit • Locate prey visually and pluck it from water or ground, or probe mud • Most species migratory • May be monogamous, polygynous, or polyandrous; some colonial • Among oldest on record: 32 yrs • Distribution: • 87 species in 21 genera worldwide • 43 species in 16 genera in North America

7. ©Photo by Peter LaTourrette ©Photo by Glen Tepke Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Haematopodidae • Field Marks: • Large and completely blackish • Long, straight, orange-red bill with yellow tip • Yellow iris with orange-red eye ring • Sturdy pale pink legs • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Rocky ocean shorelines • Life History: • Occurs year-round in CA • Nests just above high-tide line, and forages in intertidal zone

8. Male, alternate ©Photo by Steve Messick Pair, basic ©Photo by Kanae Hirabayashi American Avocet Recurvirostra americana • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Recurvirostridae • Field Marks: • Large and long-legged • Black and white upperparts with white underparts • Head and neck grayish (basic plumage) or reddish (alternate) • Long, grayish-blue legs • Long, thin, recurved bill • Sex: • Female has shorter, more strongly recurved bill • Habitat: Salt ponds, marshes, and mudflats • Life History: • Occurs year-round in parts of CA • Bill extremely sensitive, and can be used for tactile foraging on inverts

9. ©Photo by Steve Messick Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Recurvirostridae • Field Marks: • Tall and slender, with long reddish legs • Blackish upperparts with white underparts • Bill long, black, and slightly recurved • Sex: • Females have more brownish upperparts • Males have glossier black upperparts • Habitat: Salt marshes and salt ponds • Life History: • Occurs year-round in CA

10. ©Photo by Bob Steele Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Plumage buffy-cinnamon overall, with upperparts streaked dark brown and crown plain • Cinnamon under wing • Large and long-legged, with very long decurved bill • Sex: Female tends to be larger with longer bill • Habitat: • Estuaries, sandy beaches, agricultural fields • Life History: • Occurs in CA primarily in winter • Largest North American shorebird • Bill is best-adapted for capturing shrimp and crabs in deep burrows • Conservation: • CA Species of Special Concern • Causes likely include loss of breeding and migration stop-over habitat

11. ©Photo by Bob Steele Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus • Flight calls clear whistles, including • kwid wid wid wid, • and a loud whistled • wrrreeep • Song of low, rich, whistled notes • building to long, slurred whistle • pr pr pr pr pr prrreeeep prrrreeeeeerrr

12. ©Photos by Peter LaTourrette Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Upperparts dark brown, mottled buff, with brown-streaked underparts • Long, decurved bill • Dark crown with buff median stripe, buff supercilium, and dark eye line • Grayish-brown underwing • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Mudflats, estuaries, and marshes • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter • Eat primarily marine invertebrates • At least in Panama, bill decurvature matches the burrow curve of Fiddler crabs

13. Alternate ©Photo by Chuck Loftis Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Plumage buffy-cinnamon overall, with upperparts streaked dark brown • In alternate plumage, underparts heavily barred • Cinnamon under wing • Large and long-legged, with long slightly recurved, bicolored bill • Sex: Females larger, with longer bill • Habitat: Mudflats, estuaries, and grasslands • Life History: • Occurs in CA primarily in winter • Sometimes forages almost exclusively on plant tubers during migration

14. ©Photos by Don DesJardin Wilson’s SnipeGallinago delicata • formerly Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Medium-sized with brown, black, and gray, striped and spotted upperparts, forming 4 pale lines down the back • Underparts primarily white, with breast, and flanks streaked brown • Crown striped black and buffy • Long, straight bill • Short orange tail visible in flight • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Freshwater marshes and agricultural fields • Life History: • Occurs year-round in parts of CA, but primarily in winter • Flushes in a rapid zig-zag flight

15. ©Photos by Don DesJardin Wilson’s SnipeGallinago delicata • Display song from perch a loud • TIKa TIKa TIKa…… • In winnowing flight display, outer tail • feathers produce hollow, low whistle • huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu…. • Flight call a dry, harsh, scraping • scresh or kesh

16. Basic Alternate ©Photos by Bob Steele Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceus • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Medium-sized, with drab gray upperparts and white underparts • Sharp delineation between gray upper breast and white lower breast • Wing tips do not extend past tail • In alternate plumage, upperparts mottled brown, black, and buff; underparts entirely rufous with dark barring tipped white • Short whitish supercilium and dark eye line • Tail barred black and white with white wedge-shaped rump patch • Long, straight, dark bill • Flatter forehead; straighter supercilium • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Primarily freshwater marshes • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter • Known for its characteristic “sewing machine” motion when feeding • Best separated from Short-billed Dowitcher by voice: “keek”

17. Basic ©Photo by Don DesJardin Alternate ©Photo by Kees Bakker Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseus • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Medium-sized with drab gray upperparts and white underparts • Gray upper breast and white lower breast not sharply defined • Wing tips project just beyond tip of tail • In alternate plumage, upperparts mottled brown, black, and buff; underparts pale rufous with white belly, and dense spotting • Short whitish supercilium and dark eye line • Tail barred black and white with white wedge-shaped rump patch • Long, straight, dark bill • Steeper forehead; more arched supercilium • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Primarily saltwater marshes and mudflats • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter • Known for its characteristic “sewing machine” motion when feeding • Best separated from Long-billed Dowitcher by voice: “tu tu tu”

18. Basic © Bill Hill Female, alternate Male, alternate ©Photos by Bob Steele Wilson’s PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Slender with pale gray upperparts with white face, rump, and underparts • Plain gray wings with no wing stripe • Small-headed with thin, needle-like, dark bill • Long, yellow legs (black in breeding season) • Sex: • Females in alternate plumage have blue-gray crown, white supercilium, and black stripe through eye and down neck; cinnamon-buff neck; chestnut scapulars • Males in alternate plumage are less brightly plumaged, with white throat and cinnamon-buff nape, but with considerable variability • Habitat: Marshes and hypersaline lakes • Life History: • Breeds in CA, and collects in large numbers at several staging grounds for migration to South America, e.g.: Mono Lake, Salton Sea • Polyandrous and has reversed sexual roles, with females performing courtship displays and males providing most care for the young

19. Basic ©Photos by Bob Steele Female, alternate Male, alternate ©Photo by Peter LaTourrette Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Small with gray upperparts and white underparts • Dark wings with white wing stripe • Black eyepatch and rear crown patch • Small-headed with thin, needle-like, dark bill • Sex: • Females in alternate plumage have dark gray to black head, neck, and breast, white throat and eye spot, and bright chestnut from ear down sides of neck; dark gray upperparts; golden stripes down back • Males in alternate plumage paler overall, with brownish-gray upperparts, and whitish supercilium; may lack red patch • Habitat: Hypersaline lakes, estuaries, salt marshes • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter near San Diego and the Salton Sea • Regularly seen on migration in spring and fall • Polyandrous and has reversed sexual roles, with females performing courtship displays and males providing most care for the young

20. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Small with dark grayish-brown upperparts and white underparts • Rounded, bilobed border between dark breast and white belly • In alternate plumage, upperparts rufous with blackish patches; black and white head, neck, and breast • White patches on back, inner wing, wing stripe, and uppertail • Clean white underwing • Short range legs • Short, black, slightly upturned bill • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Rocky or sandy beaches • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter • Breeds in the tundra from Alaska to Greenland, and is poorly studied Juvenile ©Photo by Peter LaTourrette Alternate ©Photo by Yves Baptiste

21. Basic Alternate ©Photos by Peter LaTourrette Black TurnstoneArenaria melanocephala • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Small with dark brownish-black upperparts and white underparts • Straight border between dark breast and white belly • In alternate plumage, upperparts with greenish iridescence; white lore spot; fine white streaks on head and breast • White patches on back, inner wing, wing stripe, and uppertail • Clean white underwing • Short pinkish-brown legs • Short, black, slightly upturned bill • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Rocky shorelines • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter • Strictly a bird of western North America • Named for habit of flipping over objects to find food

22. Alternate ©Photo by Brian Currie Basic ©Photo by Don DesJardin Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Upperparts brown with pale spots, and pale underparts • Slender and long-necked • No wing stripe • Long, bright yellow legs • Dark bill that is only slightly longer than head, and thin at base • In alternate plumage, has heavy dark streaks on head and neck, and barring on flanks and upper belly • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: • Fresh or saltwater marshes, mudflats, lakes, and estuaries • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter

23. Alternate ©Photo by Brian Currie Basic ©Photo by Peter LaTourrette Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Dark brown upperparts with pale spots, and pale underparts • Slender and long-necked • No wing stripe • Long, bright yellow legs • Dark bill that is much longer than head, and relatively thick at base • In alternate plumage, has heavy dark streaks on head and neck, and barring on flanks and upper belly • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: • Fresh or saltwater marshes, mudflats, lakes, and agricultural fields • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter • Eats a variety of invertebrates and small fish

24. Alternate ©Photo by Brian Currie Basic ©Photo by Peter LaTourrette Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca • Flight call a loud ringing • deew deew deew, • typically three or four notes

25. Alternate ©Photo by Brian Currie Basic ©Photo by Peter LaTourrette Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Large size, with gray to brownish-gray upperparts • In alternate plumage, upperparts barred and streaked • Broad white wing stripe on dark wings • Blue-gray legs • Straight bill • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: • Mudflat, marsh, sandy beaches, rocky shorelines • Life History: • Occurs primarily in CA in winter • Has been renamed Tringa semipalmata following genetic analysis

26. Alternate Basic ©Photos by Peter LaTourrette Wandering Tattler Heteroscelus incanus • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Plain gray upperparts • Narrow white supercilia almost join on forehead • Dark eye line • In alternate plumage, underparts heavily barred • Short, thick, yellow legs • Straight, medium-length bill • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Rocky shorelines • Life History: • Occurs primarily in CA in winter • Has been renamed Tringa incaca following genetic analysis

27. Alternate ©Photo by Bob Steele Basic Surfbird Aphriza virgata • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Upperparts, head, and breast gray with whitish underparts • In alternate plumage, upperparts blackish with rufous on scapulars and underparts heavily streaked and spotted • Short, straight bill with yellowish base • Short, yellow legs • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Rocky shorelines • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter • Long, narrow winter range extends from Alaska to Chile, and is confined to rocky shoreline and intertidal zone

28. ©Photo by Bob Steele ©Photo by Peter LaTourrette Killdeer Charadrius vociferous • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Charadriidae • Field Marks: • Medium-sized with grayish-brown upperparts and white underparts • White collar with two black breastbands • Rump and uppertail coverts rufous • Long wings and tail • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: • Mudflats, freshwater marshes, agricultural fields, and golf courses • Life History: • Occurs year-round in CA • Loud and vocal • Known for their elaborate broken-wing displays

29. ©Photo by Bob Steele ©Photo by Peter LaTourrette Killdeer Charadrius vociferous • High, piping: • deee deeeyee • tyeeeeeee deew deew • tewddew • (or “killdeer”)

30. Alternate ©Photos by Bob Steele Basic Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Charadriidae • Field Marks: • Small, with brown upperparts and white underparts • White collar with single black breastband • White forehead and postocular stripe (may form supercilium in basic plumage) • Gray-brown forecrown and sides of head (black in alternate plumage) • Wings and tail dark, with single white stripe at base of remiges • Short, stubby bill is black with orange to yellow base • Legs dull yellow to orange • Sex: • Females tend to have brown feathers in breast band and forecrown, and bolder postocular stripe • Habitat: • Coastal beaches, mudflats, estuaries, lakes and marshes • Life History: • Occurs primarily in CA in winter

31. Basic ©Photo by Glen Tepke Alternate © Bill Schmoker Snowy PloverCharadrius alexandrinus • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Charadriidae • Field Marks: • Small, with pale brown upperparts and white underparts • White collar with partial breastband restricted to lateral patches • Thin, entirely black bill • Legs dark gray to blackish • In alternate plumage, dark auriculars and darker breastband • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Sparsely vegetated sandy beaches • Life History: • Neotropical migrant, nesting in CA • Conservation: • Federal Threatened species (Western subspecies C. a. nivosus only) • Causes include degradation of beach-front habitat and disturbances at nests

32. Alternate Basic ©Photos by Peter LaTourrette Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Charadriidae • Field Marks: • Medium-sized with sandy brown upperparts and white underparts • No breastbands • Black bill • In alternate plumage, blackish forecrown and black stripe connects bill to eye • Habitat: Grasslands and agricultural fields • Life History: • Most of the population winters in CA and nests in the Great Plains • North American endemic • Conservation: • CA Species of Special Concern • Likely causes include loss of native grasslands

33. Alternate ©Photo by Milton Moody Basic ©Photos by Peter LaTourrette Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Grayish-brown upperparts with white underparts • Dark eye line with whitish supercilium • Pale fleshy legs • In alternate plumage, underparts with black spots • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats • Life History: • Occurs year-round in parts of CA • Very broad breeding range, due to generalist habits • Polyandrous, and have reversed sex roles: females more active in courtship, and males provide more parental care

34. Basic ©Photos by Peter LaTourrette Alternate Black-bellied PloverPluvialis squatarola • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Charadriidae • Field Marks: • Gray-brown above with gray-brown breast and white belly • In alternate plumage, underparts black from chin to upper belly blackish with whitish crown and undertail • Relatively large and heavy-bodied, with thick neck and lage head • Short, thick bill tapers evenly to blunt tip • Webbing between middle and outer toes well developed • Short hallux (rarely absent) • Sex: • Male typically has solid black underparts in alternate plumage • Female typically has mottled underparts in alternate plumage • Habitat: Coastal beaches and estuaries • Life History: • Occurs in CA primarily in winter • Has large eyes, adapted to nocturnal foraging • Quick to give alarm calls, and functions as a sentinel for mixed shorebird assemblages worldwide

35. Basic ©Photo by Peter LaTourrette Alternate ©Photo by Yves Baptiste DunlinCalidris alpina • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Medium-sized with light brownish-gray upperparts and white underparts • In alternate plumage, black belly, rufous cap and upperparts • In flight, white wing bar on dark wing; white wing lining • Long, black, slightly decurved bill • Black legs and feet • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: • Mudflats, estuaries, bays, marshes, and agricultural fields • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter

36. Basic Alternate ©Photo by Yves Baptiste SanderlingCalidris alba • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Small with pale gray upperparts, dark shoulder, and white underparts • Broad white wing stripe bordered with black • In alternate plumage, upperparts reddish to sandy brown with blackish and whitish mottling • Short, straight, and stout black bill • Black legs and feet, with no hallux • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Sandy beaches • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter, breeding in high Arctic tundra • While foraging, constantly runs ahead of incoming waves or chasing after receding ones

37. Basic ©Photo by Jack Binch Alternate ©Photo by Peter LaTourrette Least SandpiperCalidris minutilla • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Small with dark brownish-gray upperparts and white underparts • Breast brownish • In alternate plumage, upperparts darker with more rufous • Short, thin, slightly decurved black bill • Legs usually yellowish-green • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Mudflats, estuaries, and marshes • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter, but winter range extends far into S. America • Smallest shorebird in the world

38. Basic ©Photo by Peter LaTourrette Alternate Western SandpiperCalidris mauri • Order: Charadriiformes • Family: Scolopacidae • Field Marks: • Small with pale brownish-gray upperparts and white underparts • Breast whitish • In alternate plumage, bright chestnut scapulars, crown, and auriculars • Long, black, slightly decurved bill • Black legs and feet • Sex: Monomorphic • Habitat: Sandy beaches and mudflats • Life History: • Occurs in CA in winter • One of the most common shorebirds of the western hemisphere • In migration, huge flocks form in staging areas (e.g. SF Bay)