Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Gobadán uchtach

Conservation concern: Green-listed in Ireland.

Status:  Scarce passage migrant on western and southern coasts from July to November.

Identification: Very similar to Dunlin and care is needed when identifying this species. In all plumages appears very similar to juvenile Dunlin, though Pectoral Sandpiper slightly larger than that species. Best identified by the abruptly ending breast band, which runs into a point. Juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers are  almost indistinguishable from adults.

Similar Species: Dunlin

Call: A dry “kreet” is given in flight.

Diet: Like the commoner Dunlin, Pectoral Sandpipers probe the mud for the various invertebrates found in wetlands and estuaries.

Breeding: Does not breed in Ireland. Pectoral Sandpiper breeds in eastern Siberia and Arctic North America.

Wintering: Pectoral Sandpipers winter in South America. Birds seen in Ireland in late-summer and early autumn are migrants

Where to see: Tacumshin in south County Wexford is one of the more reliable sites for this species, with up to 5 reported annually. Has been recorded in suitable habitat throughout Ireland.

Monitored by: Irish Wetland Bird Survey and BirdTrack.