Field identification of smaller sandpipers within the genus C/dr/s

Richard R. Veit and Lars Jonsson

Paintings and line drawings by Lars Jonsson

INTRODUCTION the hand, we recommend that the reader threeNearctic species, the Semipalmated refer to the speciesaccounts of Prateret Sandpiper (C. pusilia), the Western HESMALL Calidris sandpipers, affec- al. (1977) or Cramp and Simmons Sandpiper(C. mauri) andthe LeastSand- tionatelyreferred to as "peeps" in (1983). Our conclusionsin this paperare piper (C. minutilla), and four Palearctic North America, and as "stints" in Britain, basedupon our own extensivefield expe- species,the primarilywestern Little Stint haveprovided notoriously thorny identi- rience,which, betweenus, includesfirst- (C. minuta), the easternRufous-necked ficationproblems for many years. The hand familiarity with all sevenspecies. Stint (C. ruficollis), the eastern Long- first comprehensiveefforts to elucidate We also examined specimensin the toed Stint (C. subminuta)and the wide- thepicture were two paperspublished in AmericanMuseum of Natural History, spread Temminck's Stint (C. tem- Brtttsh Birds (Wallace 1974, 1979) in Museumof ComparativeZoology, Los minckii).Four of thesespecies, pusilla, whichthe problem was approached from Angeles County Museum, San Diego mauri, minuta and ruficollis, breed on the Britishperspective of distinguishing Natural History Museum, Louisiana arctictundra and are found during migra- vagrant Nearctic or eastern Palearctic State UniversityMuseum of Zoology, tion in flocksof up to thousandsof indi- speciesamongst groups of migrantLittle British Museum (Natural History), and viduals on extensive tidal flats. Two oth- Stints(Calidris minuta). A secondmajor the Museumof Natural History in Stock- ers, minutilla and subminuta, breed contributionto the identificationof spe- holm, studied numerous photographs, farthersouth, in marshyareas of thebor- cies in this group (and to the identifica- anddiscussed many points with individ- eal and sub-arcticzones, and, duringm•- tion of shorebirdsin general) was the uals,who, throughtheir travels,had spe- gration,are usuallyless gregariousand publicationof A Guideto theAgeing and cial familiaritywith oneor anotherplum- prefergrassy marshes and flooded fields Identificationof Holarctic Waders by age that we lacked. for foraging.The seventhspecies, temo Prater et al., in 1977. The detailed de- Becausemost of our field experience minckii, is primarily an arctic and sub- scriptionsof shorebird plumages and hasbeen in easternNorth America(Veit) arcticbreeder but is rathersolitary during molt contained in that work are indis- and westernEurope (Jonsson),a biased migration,when it is mostoften found pensableto the shorebirdenthusiast and perspectiveon the comparativeappear- aroundfreshwater pools and in grassy arealso particularly useful for the correct ance of each of these birds has been in- marshes. identification of small calidridines in the evitable. Therefore, the identification Amongshorebirds, the specieswithin hand A new paper in British Birds pointsdiscussed in this paper tend to re- thisgroup are probablythe mostdifficult (Grant 1984), has used the same paint- flect comparisonswith the common to identify. When in breedingplumage, ings by Jonssonthat appearhere. NorthAmerican species. Such a bias, we the species-specificcolor patterns are Our approachis to define and summa- have assumed,is largely sharedby the rather obvious, and render identification nze thosecharacters by whichpeep sand- readers of American Birds. straightforward.But at other seasons, pipersmay be distinguishedfrom onean- thesespecies are extremely similar to one other in the field. We have avoided SPECIES TREATMENT anotherand usuallyrequire considerable detailed discussions of characters that previousexperience, exceptional view- wouldbe of usein the hand, bothto keep ing conditions,and a healthyamount of the text within a manageablelength, and eCOVER the identification ofseven patienceto identifycorrectly. In the fol- also becausewe lack extensiveexperi- Holarcticspecies in the genusCa- lowing sections,we identify thosemor- ence with live birds in the hand. For iden- lidris that are collectivelycharacterized phologicalfeatures most critical to the tificationof specimensor of live birdsin by their very small size. These include properidentification of thesespecies.

Patntedespecially for AmericanBirds by LarsJonsson, the opposite page shows four smallsandpipers in juvenalplumage. In thebackground, a juvenile Western Sandptper (Cahdrismaud) is flanked by twojuvenile Semipalmated Sandpipers (C. pusilia).The juvenile Western has upper scapulars with a pronouncedcontrast between the tawny frtngesand dark centers, as wellas a palefaceand "beady"eye,' both of these characters are lacking in thejuvenile Semipalmated Sandpipers. In theforeground is a juvende Rufous-neckedStint (C. ruficollis),similar to thejuvenile Western but with a shorterbill, nowebbing between the toes, and with brighter, more cinnamon/rufous upperparts

Volume 41, Number 2 213 TOPOGRAPHY (Figure l) way up the crown. The "forecrown"re- tion"is the distance between the tip of tbe fersto the featberingimmediately above longestprimary and the tip of thelongest • our descriptionsof plumages and the base of the bill. tcrtial. molts, we follow the terminologyof Upperparts:The "V" marksare whitish Humphrey and Parkes (1959), further stripeson the backof somepeeps that are SIZE discussedas it appliesto shorebirdsby derivedfrom white fringesto the mantle Palmer (1967). feathers,scapulars, or both. Depending LVatOUGhXnErange in size between In discussionsof peepidentification, it on how thesefeathers are lying, the "V" the largestspecies (Western Sand- is convenientto speakof certaingroups marksmay appearsharp or diffuse. We piper)and the smallest (Least Sandpiper) of feathersthat are similarly coloredor refer to "mantle" or "scapular" "V" is substantial, size differences between patterned,but which are not ordinarily marks,depending on whichfeathers are otherspecies are small and usually diffi- referred to under a collective term. For involved. cult to judge. The sandpipersin this example,of the five rowsof scapularson Underparts:The "breast sides" include groupare sexuallydimorphic in size(fe- peeps,the upperthree rows are often col- the featberingabove the flanks, or just malesslightly larger), and the apparent ored differently from the lower two. aheadof andabove the bendof the wing. sizeof an individualbird can vary ac- Therefore,we speakof the "upper"and Wings:On peeps,the middleand greater cordingto the positionof its feathersand "lower" scapulars(Fig. !). Someother secondarycoverts are frequentlyvisible to otherspecies with which it is associat- instancesof terminologypeculiar to this on a standingbird, andtheir colorationis ed. Minor differences in the distance be- text are as follows: frequentlycritical in the identificationof tween birds, which to the observer are Head: The "lateral crownstripes"are somespecies. For convenience,we refer foreshortenedby opticalequipment, can pale, usuallywhitish, lineswhich paral- to theseas simply "greatercoverts" or resultin a significantdistortion in the ap- lel the superciliumabout one-third of the "middlecoverts." The "primary projec- parentrelative size of birds that seemto

supercilium lateralcrown stripe cro•n J auriculars • •._/ / hindneck _ •,.•/// "V"mark lorecrown • tg'. % • "• • • • •ntte lo•s•-• ' ••• • upperscapulars

culmen• . •.•• • lowerscapulars. •rima chin • • • ' n• • -• •• ' ' thro•'t•• • , • • --• •- • • projectto•

• • • • • .•ertail cover. lessercoverts • • • •• •vent fia•ks• •-• • •greatercovertx

middle toe outerinner toetoe be!•••. tar•••e•••ncoverts Figure 1. Topographyof a Calidris.

214 American Birds, Summer 1987 be standingnext to one another.There- Westernsandpipers. One shouldbeware Little stints,by comparison.have finely forethe proportions,rather than the size of birdsthai lack webbingbut acquirea tipped bills. perse,are more useful in determiningthe "club-footed" look as a result of mud The extentof the foldedprimary tips species. caked to their toes. beyondthe tip of the I,ongest tertial seems The shapeof the bill, while it varies to be of some use in the field, but vari- with sex. age, and in somecases, geo- ation in this feature has not been thor- STRUCTURE AND POSTURE graphical origin. is a species-specific oughlyinvestigated. The LeastSandpip- character and is often the first clue to the er and Long-toedand Temminck's stints NMANY cases, idcntificauon ofpeeps presenceof a rare species.Critical as- havevery little, if any, primaryprojec- dependsupon structuralcharacters of pects include the overall length, the tion. Of the black-leggedspecies, Little thebill, legsand feet (Fig. 2). Two North amountof curvature.and the degreeof and Rufous-neckedstints usually have American species,pusilia and rnauri, pointednessas observedboth from above greaterprimary projection than Semipal- have partial webbingbetween the toes, and from the side. Lateralexpansion of mated and Western sandpipers.This whichthe similarPalearctic species. rnin- the bill tip. resultingin a slightlyspatu- charactershould probably be usedonly uta and ruficollis, lack. This feature is late condition,is typicalof the Semipal- for juvenilesin fall. asone cannot assume surprisinglyeasy to see, onceone is fa- matedSandpiper but •sonly visiblewhen thatthe primariesare completelygrown miliar with the differencein appearance the bird is viewed head-on. A blunt- in birdsof otherages. between webbed and unwebbed feet tippedprofile, only visiblefrom the side, The shapeof the body and the stance (Fig. 3). North Americanobservers can is characteristicof the Semipalmated typicallyassumed both lend a greatdeal usefullystudy this distinction by compar- Sandpiperand Rufous-neckedStint. The to the appearanceof a sandpiperand ing the feet of Least vs. Semipalmated LeastSandpiper and the Long-toedand thereforeprovide useful clues to its iden-

J 2

)

Figure2. Typicalsilhouettes offour black-leggedpeeps. Little Stint (top left) and Rufous-necked Stint(top right) in first alternateplumage: Western Sandpiper (bottom left) in drab alternateplumage; Semipalmated Sandpiper (bottom right) in typicalalternate plumage.

Volume 4 I, Number tity. For example, the difference in crown profile is useful for separating LeastSandpipers from Long-toedStints, andthe horizontalposture of the Rufous- necked Stint differs from the more erect stance of the Little Stint. However, the postureof a particularbird will vary ac- cordingto its behaviorand to the weath- er. Alert or frightenedbirds stand erect with neck extended, while those that are resting or feeding in windy conditions tend to crouch and retract their necks (Fig. 4). A bird's posturewill also affect theway the featherslie; on a relaxedbird, Figure 3. Comparisonof webbed(a) and unwebbed(b)Ject the scapularsfluff out and conceal the wings (Fig. 4b) while a tense bird will flattenthe scapularsand exposemost of the wing (Fig. 4a).

BEHAVIOR

ACHSPECIES ofCalidris behaves ina somewhat characteristic fashion, which may be helpful in its identifica- tion. For example, foragingLittle Stints tend to pick at the surfacemore quickly or nervously than do Scmipalmated Sandpipers.Least Sandpipersand Tem- minck's Stints tend to fly straight up- Figure4. Variationin posture of juvenile Little Stint: a. alert. erectbird with scapulars flattened wards on flushing, while most other andwing exposed: b. crouchingbird with neck retracted and plumage fluffed out to species fly low and horizontally. conceal wing. Throughoutour speciesaccounts, we al- ludeto behavioralaspects that have been ascribedto one or anotherspecies. Since tiffcation.The color, andpattern of col- reveal that bird's identity. For example. most of the available information on this oration,on the mantle, scapulars,tertials juvenile WesternSandpipers retain a few subject is anecdotal, we would advise andsecondary coverts are especially per- distinctiverufescent scapulars until the discretionin using bchavioral cues for tinent in calidridine identification. When late fall and are therefore still identifiable identification.For example,at Newbury- the distinctivepatterns have mostly dis- by this character. port Harbor, Massachusetts,Least Sand- appearedfrom individual birds during The headpattern varies in a predictable pipersfeed in the fall almostexclusively periodsof molt, the retentionof a few fashionbetween speciesand is usually in Spartinagrass at the edge of the tidal characteristicallycolored feathers may useful for identification. The dark fore- flats, while in springthe same species feedsprimarily at the seawardedge of the flats. Other conflictingdescriptions of shorebirdfeeding behavior in the litera- ture similarly sugges!that their habitat choiceis opportunistic.For this reason. behavioralcues are probably the least usefulfor identificationof any features we discuss.

COLORATION

HECOLOR nomenclature we use is modified from Smithe (1975). One of the predominantcolors in all of the cali- dridines is closest to Smithe's "cinna- mon/rufous," which for convenience we shall refer to as "rufous." For other co- lors, we closelyfollow his terminology. Featherand soft-partcoloration is. of course,of vital importancein peepiden- Figure 5. JuvenileSemipalmated Sandpiper. New York.September. Photo/7• H. Davis.

216 American Birds,Summer 1987 than those in definitive alternateplum- age, becausethey grow basic-patterned feathers during the first pre-alternate molt. Others,however, are frequentlyin- distinguishablefrom adults. The sequenceof calidridineplumages is as lbllows: The juvenal plumageis the first set of contourli:athers grown. Birdsin juvenal plumage(= juveniles) are recognizable with practicebecause they are brightand neat looking. The upperpartshave fine, palel?inges to the feathersthat produce a scalyimpression, and the upperbreast is washedwith buff in most species. Thefirst basicplumage includes a gen- erationof bodyfeathers grown during the first fall. First basic birds are often sep- arablel?om adults because they retainthe juvenal wing and tail feathers.In some Figure6. JuvenileSemipalmated Sandpiper. New York, late August. Photo/P. A. BuckIcy. species,the first pre-basicmolt is com- plete, includingremiges and rectrices. The first alternate plumage. acquired crown of Long-toedStints differs from feathersthat contribute most significantly by a partial molt involving the body that of Least Sandpipers,and the facial to theappearance of the bird. Thus, when leathering,takes place during the bird's patternsof juvenileSemipalmated Sand- we specify the timing of a particular firstspring, but may continuethrough the pipersand Little Stintsare more distinct molt, we relbr to that time of year when summer.Ordinarily, the feathersgrown than thoseof Western Sandpipersand the visible body lbathers are replaced. at thisstage are not as brightas thoseof Rulbus-necked Stints. The flight feathersof shorebirds,lbr ex- the adults. The coloration of calidridines varies ample, are often molted later in the au- The definitive basit' plumage is ac- considerablybetween individuals. There tumnthan the bodyplumage. We discuss quiredin the firstcomplete molt, the pre- is very little, if any, consistentsexual molt of wing feathersonly in circum- basicmolt, when the bird isjust over one dimorphismwith respectto color in these stanceswhere comparativewear of the year old. birds. sovariation such as that in juvenile primaries is useful lbr determining a The definitive alternate plumage, SemipalmatedSandpipers ½Figs. 5.6) is bird's age. whichis acquiredin a molt that involves due to some other factor. Molting is frequentlyaffected by the mainly the body li:athering,is then as- Leg colorationquickly separatesthese migratory pattern of individual birds. sumedeach subsequent spring, and is the birds into two groups, the "yellow- Generally speaking, shorebirdsdo not "breeding"or "nuptial" plumage. legged"and the "black-legged"species. molt flight lbathers while migrating. The "black-legged"species (mauri, pu- Therelbre, sandpipersthat winter at lo- silia, minuta and ruficollis) show vari- calities lhr l¾omtheir breedinggrounds Molt ation in leg color, as thoseof juveniles molt on a different schedule l¾om those range l¾omdark olive to dark neutral that winter closerby. For example, adult Molt is a complexand variableproc- gray. Yellow legscan look dark if cov- Least Sandpipersthat winter in South ess. In our above definitions, we describe ered with mud. Aberrationsin soft-part Americapostpone molt until after they the typicalsequence lbr populationsas a colors have also been recorded, such as arriveon theirwintering grounds (usually whole, anddo not point out extremesof black legs on Temminck's Stints (Ruck after September),whereas those winter- individual variation. As molt is largely 1977). The only significantvariation in ing in Calilbrnia begin molting in July. governedby a bird's hormonalstate, and bill color amongpeeps is in the Long- Similar differencesapply to most other is successfullycompleted only by healthy toedStint. which hasa yellowishbase to species. birds, individuals that occur far outside the lower mandible. their normal range are probably some- Aging what more prone to peculiar molts. For AGING, MOLT AND WEAR example, some vagrant juvenile stints The juvenal, definitivebasic, and de- have been lbund to retain their juvenal NOWINGTHE age or plumageof a finitivealternate plumages of calidridines l•athering longer than usual. bird is usuallythe first steptowards are almost always identifiable in the There is evidence that the amount of reachinga correct identification. Each field. Distinguishingfirst basic plumage color presentin growinglbathers is also plumagehas its own characteristicli:a- from definitive basic is usually possible under hormonal control (Voitkevich turesthat mustbe comparedwith the cor- becausehrst-year birds retain theirjuve- 1966). Thus, the coloration of alternate responding plumage of each other nal wing covertsand sometimes,the ju- bodylbathering is governedby hormones species. venal tertials, which contrast with the that are highly concentratedjust prior to In our abbreviateddiscussion of plum- newlygrown basic features. Birds in first the breedingseason. In immaturebirds, agesand molts, we concentrateon those alternateplumage are often muchduller hormonallevels may be muchlower than

Volume41, Number2 217 Plate1. Juvenalplumages. a. Rufous-neckedStint. fresh plumage, August. b. Rufous-neckedStint, typical. August-September. c. SemipalmatedSandpiper, rather worn. September-October.d. Semipalmated Sandpiper. typical, August- September.e. SemipalmatedSandpiper, unusually rusty. f. WesternSandpiper. fresh, August.g. Western Sandpiper.typical. with a few basicfeathers conting in amongupper scapulars.

ternate-patternedfeathers. moreclosely. Feather wear also tendsto Differencesin molt sequenceare use- alterthe appearanceof the facial pattern. ful in identification.For example, in de- We havepurposely avoided evaluating finitive alternateplumage, Little Stints recent North American records of va- have alternate-patterned,while Rufous- grantstints, and have only briefly sum- neckedStints have basic-patterned, wing marized their occurrence. We would, coverts. however, be most interested to hear of future recordsof Palearcticspecies in Wear North America, so that an eventual clari- ficationof theirstatus may be published. The appearanceof shorebirdsis con- tinually modifiedby featherwear. This inevitable processhas evolved to the SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER bird's advantagein the caseof alternate Calidris pusilia plumages. For example, Little Stints havefragile whitish tips to the feathersof Distribution Figure 7. Variationin color •?[tertials of Ru- the upperpartsthat wear off by the time Jous-neekedStint in alternate plumage.Num- the birdsarrive on the breedinggrounds, The SemipalmatedSandpiper is oneof bersshow sequence pf molt. I. Basic-likeand revealingthe bright underlyingcolors. the most numerous and familiar shore- stronglyabraded. 2. Basit'-like but slightly Feathersgrown earliest in the pre-alter- birds of eastern North America. It occurs .tore strong•vmarked. showingchange in hormonal bolance: somewhat abrtuled 3. hatemolt have the widestfringes, so that duringmigration in flocksof tensof thou- sands on tidal sand and mud flats. The Freshfeather showingmtt•'imum coloration. theentire plumage is exposedby wear at the sametime (Fig. 7). speciesbreeds in North America from Juvenilesgradually lose the brightly western Alaska, extreme northern in adults,so that growing feathers are not coloredspecies-specific fringes to their Keewatin and southern Baffin Island asbrightly colored. Even in adults,some featberingduring the courseof the fall south to the southern shore of Hudson alternatefeathers appear early in spring, (tf. Figs. 5 and8). Thus,late migrantsof Bay and coastal Labrador. Harrington and look more like those of the basic all speciestend to resembleone another and Morrison (1979) have shown a clinal plumage (Fig. 7). Temminck's Stint showsthis sort of "partial" alternate plumage most obviously among the peeps. The amountof colorand patternin the first alternateplumage varies consider- ably. Most Little, Long-toedand Tem- minck's stints seem to accompanythe adultsto the breedinggrounds and there- foreacquire a plumagevery similarto the adults.Semipalmated and Westernsand- pipers,however, usually spend their first summeron the wintering groundsand producealternate featbering more similar to the basicplumage. Among one-year-old Rufous-necked Stints,those that remain on thewintering groundsduring the summergrow alter- nate feathers that are almost identical to the basic feathers, while those that mi- gratenorthwards attain a partialbreeding condition,and thereforegrow many al- Figure 8. JuvenileSemipalmated Sandpiper. Massachusetts, earl), September. Photo/R. R. Vett.

218 American Birds,Summer 1987 Volume41, Number 2 219 Plate2. Juvenalplumages. a. LittleStint, pale bird;b. LittleStint, typical, August-September; c. Little Stint, fresh, July- August;d. Long-toedStint, typicalrather dark bird, August-September;e. Least Sandpiper, typical, August- September;f. Temminck' sStint,fresh, August. Head-on views of.' g. Semipalmated;h. Western;i. Rufous-necked; j. Little; k. Least; 1. Long-toed.

variationin bill length, which increases eastward across Canada. Females from the Ungava Peninsula area, therefore, overlap in bill length with small male Western Sandpipers(C. mauri). Semi- palmatedSandpipers winter along both coasts of South and Central America Figure 9. Headsof Western(a) from Mexico and Trinidad south to and Semipalmated(b) samlpip- southern Brazil and southern Peru. On ers in basicplumage. migration,most occur east of the Rocky Mountains.In spring, they are evenly distributedthrough the eastern United Statesin suitablehabitat, but in fall most occur close to the Atlantic coast. Many passingthrough eastern Canada fly non- stopfrom the Bay of Fundyto the Carib- bean and South America. DefinitiveAlternate Plumage(Plates 6a, springmigrants have a few grayishscap- Structure b; 3c) ularsand mantle feathers, which produce an irregular pattern on the upperparts The SemipalmatedSandpiper is struc- Acquired by a parlial molt between (Plate 6b). Southboundmigrants in July rurallymost similar to the WesternSand- Februaryand April, this molt involvesall and August appeardusky brown on the piper. Both specieshave blackishlegs of the body plumage,the inner greater upperpartsuntil they acquirea few basic and partial webbing between the toes, and middle coverts, and two or three ter- feathers(Plate 3c). heavy-setbodies, and a rather upright rials. The upperpar•sof the alternate stancewhen at rest.The Semipalmatedis plumageconsist of duskybrown feathers Definitive Basic Plumage (Plate 3d) typically more chunky, an effect that is with smoke-grayedges, so that Semipal- enhancedby the stubby bill, which is matedSandpipers appear brownish gray This plumageis acquiredby a com- straightand blunt-tipped,and also ap- whenfresh (in spring)and warmer brown plete pre-basicmolt between July and pearsblob-ended when viewed head-on. by the time they reach the breeding September. Most individuals begin to Shorl-billed individuals have an almost grounds.In this plumage,Semipalmated molt the body plumage while still in conical bill, a characteristicnot ap- Sandpipersare most readily told from Norlh America, but the remigesand rec- proachedclosely by anyother peep. Oth- Westernsby the lack of brightcinnamon- tricesare not ordinarilymolted until the er characters which differ between Semi- /rufoustones on the scapulars,and by the birds have arrived on their wintering palmatedand Western sandpipersare reducedamount of heavy markingson grounds.The basicplumage of the Semi- discussedunder the latterspecies. the flanks. Some Semipalmatedsattain palmatedSandpiper is extremelysimilar an unusuallybright rufescentcast to the to that of the WesternSandpiper, and, Calls upperparts,most intenseon the sidesof except for structuraldifferences, these the crown, the auriculars, nape, and two speciesare mostdifficult to separate. The most characteristic call note of the scapulars,and even occasionallyextend- In a direct comparisonSemipalmateds SemipalmatedSandpiper is a low-pitched ing to the upper breastand inner wing appearwarmer or browner on the upper- and somewhatcoarse, rolling "chrrup." coverts.This rufescentcoloration, how- parls, so that the dark shaft streaksare Another common call is a shorter and ever, is usually paler than the tawny or difficultto discern,and they usuallylack moreabrupt "tchet" or "chip," similar to chestnuttones of Western Sandpipers, crisp streakson the breastsides. Other thatof the Little Stint but lower-pitched. and is more uniformly distributed,not charactersare illustratedin Figure 9 and A trebled"chi-pi-lip" is alsouttered by concentratedin discretescapular, crown, discussedunder the Western Sandpiper. flushedbirds; an extremely similar call is and auricularpatches as on Westerns, Theselast details are of only averageuse- alsouttered by flocksof WesternSand- which always have grayishinner wing fulnessand are subjectto modification pipers. coverts. In May, many northbound throughwear.

220 AmericanBirds, Summer 1987 f

h

Volume 41, Number 2 221 Plate 3. Basicplumages. a. Rufous-neckedStint. adult in late stagesof pre-basic molt: b. Rufous-neckedStint, typ&'aladult; c. SemipalmatedSandpiper, adult in advaneedpre-basic molt, August: d. SemipalmatedSandpiper, typical adult; e. WesternSandpiper. first basicplumage with retainedjuvenal wing coverts. breast pattern. anda few antertormost scapulars;f. WesternSandpiper. t)•pical adult.

Litde apparentbetween the pale grayish head in SouthAmerica during their first sum- and the dark mantle and scapulars.Both mer(Phillips 1975). They undergoa par- Semipalmated specieshave white "V" marksalong the tial molt of the body, tertials, coverts, scapularsin lYesh plumage, although and rectrices,and thusgenerally resem- these are less obvious than on Little ble basicadults, but growa few alternate Stints, Least Sandpipers,or Long-toed feathers. Some of these one-year-old Stints. Of the dark-legged peeps, the birds appearin the United Statesduring Rufous-necked Semipalmatedshows the mostcontrast in May and June. Some individualsfrom Western \ the face pattern. The crown. lores and easternCanadian populations, however, auriculars are dark, especially when breedin their first summerand acquirea comparedto most Western Sandpipers, full alternateplumage (J.P. Myerspers. which have pale faces and beady eyes. comm.). On freshSemipalmateds, the dark leath- Least Long-toed eringsurrounding the eye accentuatesthe WESTERN SANDPIPER whitish eye ring, especially above the Calidris mauri eye. This portionof the eye ring is ordi- narilyinvisible on Westerns.As thejuve- Distribution nal plumageis abraded,the scaly effect Temminck's onthe upperparts disappears, but the con- Western Sandpipersseem to be the trast in the facial area increases. westernecological counterpart of Semi- A useful differencebetween juvenile palmated Sandpipers. They breed in Semipalmated Sandpipers and Little northeasternSiberia (ChukotskiyPenin- Stintsis the patternof thehindmost lower sula)and in northernand western Alaska, and winter in the southern United States Figure IO. Lower scapularsof •unallCalidris scapulars.Those of Little Stints show species. broad,dusky, oval patches,while those north to California and North Carolina, of SemipalmatedSandpipers are paler, so and south to southern Peru and Suriname. thatthe dark subterminalpatch is reduced Most migratealong the Pacfficcoast, but to an anchor-shapedmark (Fig. 10). The some occur east to the Atlantic coast be- greater coverts and tertials are pale enoughso that the dark shaft streak is ordinarilyvisible at closerange, a pattern JuvenalPlumage (Plates lc, d, e; 2g) sharedby Western Sandpipersand Ru- fous-necked Stints. When fresh, juvenile Semipalmated Sandpipershave bright buff breastbands First Basic Plumage (Not illustrated) andappear uniformly grayish above with pale buff or whitish feather edgings Probably acquiredbetween October throughout,together creating a "scaled" andDecember. this plumageinvolves the effectsimilar to that of juvenile Baird's body feathering, tertials and some co- Sandpipers(Calidris bairdii). Compared vens. In North America,juvenile Semi- to mostWesterns of the sameage, this palmatedSandpipers very seldomshow uniformityof coloration,and the neatly evidenceof molt, andthen not until early scaled appearanceof the mantle and October at the earliest. Birds in first basic scapulars,are diagnostic. Some Semipal- plumageare distinguishablefrom adults matedshave a brightrufescent cast to the onlyif contrastbetween the retained ju- upperparts(e.g., Fig. 6), but the tone of venalcoverts and fresh basic scapulars is the rufousis alwayspaler, or lesschest- apparent. nut, than on Westerns, and also extends to the auriculars and crown. On West- First AlternatePlumage (Not illustrated) crns, the darker chestnut coloration is re- Figure11. We.sternSandpiper molti.g from strictedto the scapulars,mantle and ter- Someimmature Semipalmated Sand- juvenalto first basicplunutge. New Yar•'.late rials, so that a striking contrast is pipersremain on their winteringgrounds September.Photo/• H. Davi.s.

222 AmericanBirds, Summer 1987 Volume41, Number2 223 Plate 4. Basicand juvenal plumages.a. Little Stint,first ba•&'plumage with retainedjm'enal wingcoverts and tertials;b. LittleStint, adult basil' plumage. without dark centersto feathers of upperpartsand with complete breast band; c. Long-toedStint, t•ical adultbasic plumage: d. Long-toedStint. juvenile in worl•plumage. October; e. Least Sandpiper.fresh basil'plumage, with a few retainedwing coverts.September; f. LeastSandptper, first basic plumagewith worn upperparts and retained juvenal wing coverts and tertials; g. Temminck'sStint, adult basic plumagewith a few retainedlesser wing coverts. August-September.

tween New Englandand Florida, espe- flockcalls of SemipalmatedSandpipers, lars, auriculars,and crown feathersap- cially in the fall. During migration and but which are slightlyhigher-pitched. pearearly in the pre-alternatemolt, ren- winter,Western Sandpipers frequent ex- deringpartially molted Westerns quickly tensive tidal flats. When Western and DefinitiveAlternate Plumage distinguishablefrom Semipalmateds. Semipalmatedsandpipers occur together. {Plate5f. g) The lowerscapulars are particularlylong the Westernsfrequently feed fartheroff- and pointed, and frequently reveal a shorein slightlydeeper water than the This plumageis acquiredby partial bright tawny central patch, which is re- Semipalmateds,as one mightreasonably molt, involvingthe body feathers, tert•als tainedeven in heavily abradedbirds in predictbased upon their longerbills and anda fewgreater coverts. during the peri- July and August. Some of the anterior- tarsi. Westernsdiffer most consistently od Februaryto April. This molt usually mostscapulars are amongthe last feath- fromSemipalmateds, and from all other occurs somewhat earlier (sometimes in ers to be replacedduring the pre-basic peeps.in their exceptionallylonger bill. January)in Westernthan in Semipalmat- molt, so that somefall Westernsappear whichis noticeablydrooped at the tip and ed sandpipers. completelygray, w•th a single rufous is alsogradually attenuated to a fine point In freshplumage, Westerns are easily fleck just abovethe bend of the wing. when viewed in profile. Particularlyon told from Semipalmatedsby the bright the East Coast of North America, where tawny patchesin the scapulars,auricu- Definitive Basic Plumage (Plate 3f) femaleSemipalmateds tend to haveespe- lars.and sides of crown,and by thebold cially long and even slightly drooped patternof triangularspots that extend This plumageis acquiredby a com- bills, one must rely more upon plumage across the breast and down the flanks, pletemolt during the periodJuly to Octo- charactersand voice to .separatethese two sometimes as far as the undertail coverts. ber (those wintering in the U.S. and species. The tawny scapularscontrast strongly Mexico) or September to December with thecold gray wing coverts,and also (thosewintering in SouthAmerica). Dur- Structure with the grayishnape and interscapular ing the winter, Western Sandpipersare region. Westernsnever show buff on the best told from Semipalmatedsby bill The body shape and stance of the sidesof the breast.A few tawnyscapu- structure and voice. When direct com- WesternSandpiper is subtlydistinct from parison is possible. fresh-plumaged that of the SemipalmatcdSandpiper. Westernscan be told from Semipalmat- Westerns have proportionatelyshorter edsby the following characters(Fig. 9): wings than Semipalmateds,and this, in I. The entireupperparts of Westernsare a combinationwith the long bill, yields a cleaner, colder gray, so that the dark bow-heavycarriage. As the tarsiof West- shaftstreaks appear darker and finer. 2. erns are slightly longer than those of The head, neck, and breastare liberally Semipalmateds.the legs project farther sprinkledwith fine blackishshaft streaks, beyondthe tip of the tail in flight. The whereason Semipalmatedsthe markings overall effect is rather Dunlin-like, with a in those areas are more blurred and indis- long and decurved bill, angular head tinct. While in completebasic plumage, shape,a thick neck, and heavy "shoul- most Westerns have a necklace of ders." streaks,normally lacking in Semipalmat- eds However. Westerns in their first Calls winter do not acquirethe necklaceuntil Januaryor February,by which time Se- The most characteristic call of the mipalmatedsbegin to acquiretheir "nup- Western Sandpiperis a thin and high- tial" necklace. 3. Westerns tend to lack a pitched"jeet" or "cheep"that in quality conspicuouseye ringbecause of thepale- resemblesthe call of the White-rumped t ness of the entire face. Sandpiper{C. fitseicollis),but is some- what shorterand less sibilant. In large, JuvenalPlumage {Plates If, g; 2h} single-speciesflocks, however, West- erns frequentlygive calls which to our Figure 12. Lttth, Stint in th'lbtitivea/ternate Freshjuvenile Western Sandpipers are earsare practicallyinseparable from the phtnutge.Sweden. May. Photo,M. Mareud. brightlycolored on the upperpartsand are

224 American Birds, Summer 1987 c

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Volume 41, Number 2 225 Plate5. Adult alternate plumages.a. Little Stint,fresh,May-June; b. Little Stint,somewhat worn, Jub;; c. Little Stint, worn, with incomingbasic feathers on head,mantle. and scapulars,August; d. Rufou.•-neckedStint. full alternate plumage,June-Ju•; e. Rufous-neckedStint, less colorful bird in freshplumage, May; f. WesternSandptper, typicalalternate plumage, June; g. WesternSandpiper. vet 3' worn,starting to malton mantle and scapulars, late Ju .ly-August.

mid- to late September,individuals re- semblingthe ones depictedin Plate 3e and Figure ! ! are not uncommonamong mixed flocks of peeps in the United Statesin fall. Most of the juvenal wing coverts, and sometimes the juvenal breastpattern, are retaineduntil Febru- ary. Thus,young are usuallydistinguish- able from adultsduring the winter.

First Alternate Plumage(Not illustrated)

Like SemipalmatedSandpipers, some WesternSandpipers acquire a partialal- ternateplumage during their first sum- met, while others acquire feathers that closelyresemble those of the basicplum- age.This differenceis apparentlyrelated to summeringlocality: thosethat remain withinthe southernportion of the winter Figure 13. JuvenileLittle Stints.Sweden, late September.Photo/U. OIsson. rangemost closely resemble basic adults throughoutthe summer,while thosethat migratenorth acquire varying numbers of muchbrighter, on average,than juvenile eds,begins during migration in the Unit- alternatefeathers. Birds appearingto be SemipalmatedSandpipers. Schematical- ed States.The first feathersreplaced are in basic plumage. probably one-year- ly, the patternof the upperpartsresem- those of the crown, mantle, and some of olds, frequently occur in the southern bles that of juvenile Rufous-necked the lower scapulars.The onsetof molt United Statesduring spring. Stints, althoughthe rufescenttones on thus accentuatesboth the generalpale- Westerns are darker, or tawny, rather nessof WesternSandpipers, and the con- LITTLE STINT than cinnamon/rufous.In young West- trastbetween the retainedtawny scapu- Calidris minuta ernsthere is a pronouncedcontrast be- lars and the grayishwings. Like adults, tween the upper scapulars,which have juvenileWesterns retain the anteriormost Distribution blackishcenters and tawny fringes, and juvenalscapulars longer than the rest of thelower scapulars and middle and great- the upperparts,which accountsfor the Little Stintsbreed on high arctictundra er coverts,which are all neutralgray with tendencyof field-guideartists to depict from extreme northern Scandinavia and darkcentral streaks and pale buff or whit- "winter"Westerns with tawny scapulars. Novaya Zemlya east along the Siberian ishedges. This contrastis alwayslacking The hindmostlower scapularsof juvenile coastto about 145ø east longitude.They in SemipalmatedSandpipers. Compared Westerns have anchor-shaped subter- winter mainly aroundthe Mediterranean with Semipalmateds,the face of Western minal marksthat are even more promi- Basin, in Africa, and from Saudi Arabia Sandpipersappears pale or washedout, nentthan thosein Semipalmateds(Fig. east to India. In spring, most migrants andif anyrufous is presenton the crown, !0). Boththe scapularsand the tertialsof passnorthward to the eastof westernEu- it is muchpaler than the tawnyscapulars Westernshave more pointed tips than rope. In fall, there is a displacementof (of. Semipalmated).The eye appears those of Semipalmateds. Very fresh juvenilesto the west,so that flocks of up beadybecause it is not surroundedby the Westernsshow bright white scapularand to 300 occur in Scandinavia and western dark lores and auriculars as in the Semi- mantle "V" marks, although these are Europe.Little Stintshave occurred as va- palmatedSandpiper. The upper half of neveras bright as thoseon Little Stints. grantson bothcoasts of North America, the eye ring, frequently apparent on and alsoonce in the interior. During mi- Semipalmateds,is usually invisible on First Basic Plumage (Plate 3e) gration and winter, their behavior and Westerns. habitatpreferences in generalresemble The first pre-basicmolt of Western Becausethe first pre-basicmolt of those of Semipalmated and Western Sandpipers,unlike that of Semipalmat- WesternSandpipers is often completeby sandvipers.They are most numerouson

226 American Birds,Summer 1987 Volume 41, Number 2 227 Plate6. Adultalternate plumages. a. SemipalmatedSandpiper, full a/ternateplumage, June; b. SemipalmatedSandpiper, birdwith retained basic feathers on upperparts, April; c. LeastSandpiper, full alternateplumage, June; d. Least Sandpiper,bird more worn and less colorful than c, July; e. Long-toed Stint, full alternate plumage. May-June ;f. Temminck'sStint, worn and less colorful than g; g. Temminck'sStint, typical alternate plumage, June.

extensivetidal flats, where they forage energetically,rapidly picking food items from the surface.

Structure

Little Stints have blackish legs and lack webbingbetween the toes(Fig. 3). Theyare more delicately built than Semi- palmatedSandpipers, with slender and veryfinely pointedbills andiengthier pri- mary projectionbeyond the folded ter- tials.The bill mayoccasionally appear to have a blunttip, but is never as deep at the baseas that of SemipalmatedSand- pipers, and usually appearsthinner and more finely pointedthan the bill of the Rufous-neckedStint. Compared with Rufous-neckedStints, Little Stints have a somewhatless steepforehead, a less elongatedbody, a moreerect stanceand longertarsi. Thus, the stanceof Rufous- neckedStints, when compared with Lit- ties,tends towards the elongatedimpres- sionseen in White-rumpedSandpipers. Figure14. JuvenileLittle Stint. England, September. Photo/R. J. Chandler.

Calls

The usualflight call of the Little Stint is a sharp,high-pitched "tit," rather re- semblingthe call notes of either Red- neckedPhalaropes (Phalaropus iobatus) or Sanderlings(Calidris alba). Generally speaking,the call noteof the Little Stint does not seem to vary outside of the breedingseason, but in our experience,a jingling"tilililili" is occasionallyuttered.

DefinitiveAlternate Plumage (Plate 5a, b; Figure 12)

Thisplumage is acquiredby a partial molt,including the body plumage, mid- dle and lessercoverts, tertials, and cen- traltail feathers, during February through May. Adult Little Stintsin late spring appearstrikingly rufescent on the upper- parts,particularly when comparedwith flocksof any North Americanspecies. Figure15. Juvenile Little Stint of "graymorph." England, September. Photo/R. J. Chandler The overallcoloration is paler, almost more orange,than the tonesof Western

228 AmericanBirds, Summer 1987 e

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Volume 41, Number 2 229 tialsof adultLittle Stintstend to be dusky brownwith broad, bright rufousfringes, while those of Rufous-neckeds tend to be lightergray with narrowrufous edges or no rufousedges. For Little Stints which are very heavily worn, or in advanced pre-basicmolt (Plate 5c). the coloration of the middle and greatercoverts is the most consistent distinction from the Ru- fous-neckcd Stint. 4. The rufescent cast in Little Stintsis lighter, or moreyellow- ish, than that of the Rufous-neckcd Stint. 5. Little Stints, when fresh, show mantle and scapular"V" marks, and these are frequentlyapparent even on abraded birds. Rufous-necked Stints show, at most. one set of "V" marks, and then only in veryfresh plumage. 6. The crown of Little Stints is more uniformly dark than that of the Rufous-necked Stint, and Figure16. Rufous-neckedStint in alternateplumage. Alasl•a. May. Photo/P.A. Bu,'klev. a chainof specklesoccum frequently on the crown and lores, as in the Long-toed Stint.

Definitive Bask' Plumage (Plate 4b)

This plumageis acquiredby a com- pletemolt betweenAugust and October. Becausethe distinctive inner wing co- verts (see under Alternate Plumage) are often shed last, some basic-plumaged adultsin fall can still be separatedfrom Rufous-ncckedStints by this character. In basicplumage. Little Stintsare gener- ally darker,with a moreolive cast.on the upperpartsthan the other black-legged peeps.Many individualshave a patchy appearanceon the upperparts,including the scapulars.because of the indistinct, "blobbed" shaft streaks (Plate 4a). Little Stintsoccasionally show an incomplete Figure17. JuvenileRufous-nec•[ed Stint. Japan. September. Photo/T. Shioto. breastband of duskyspeckles, which Ru- fous-neckcds seldom have. Many basic-plumaged,dark-legged stintsthat lack webbingbetween the toes Sandpipers,and is much brighter than maximum amount of rufous about the may be unidentifiablein the field. How- any Least Sandpiper.The cinnamon/ru- head, neck, and upper breast. Little ever, sucha bird with a strongsuggestion fouscoloration is brighteston the auricu- Stints in such condition differ from Ru- of a breastband as well asprominent dark lars.crown. scapulars,and tertials,but is fous-neckcdsin the following ways: I. centerson the feathersof the upperparts presentthroughout the upperpartsand The throatis always white in the Little wouldlikely be a Little Stint. Compared usually continuesas a suffusionacross Stintand usuallyrufcsccnt in the Rufous- with Little Stints, basic Rufous-ncckcds the upperbreast. Early in spring, when necked. 2. The rufous face and neck of seemto havea dingierface pattern. with theplumage is fresh,the rufesccntcolor- the Little Stint are always streakedor a more obscuresupercilium. and look ation is somewhatconcealed by whitish spottedwith duskybrown, while this area moredingy and smudgedon the sidesof tips to the feathersof the upperparts,so in the Rufous-neckedis clearand unspot- the breast, but these differencesrequire that the bird appearslightly dustedwith ted. Assessingthis particularfeature, of furtherstudy. flour. The extensive rufescent tones on course,requires an exceptionallyclose the face and breast of adult Little Stints view. 3. The innerwing covertsof Little JuvenalPlumage (Plate 2a, b, c, j; make them most likely to be confused Stintsare light to duskybrown with rath- Figure 13) with Rufous-necked Stints. This similar- er broad buffy_or ruJbusedges, while ity is most obviousduring mid- to late those of Rufous-neckedsare cold gray At first glance,juvenile Little Stints summer, when feather wear reveals the with darkshaft streaks. Similarly, the ter- appearvery brightlycolored, with con-

230 AmericanBirds, Summer 1987 trastinglypatterned upperparts and bright FtrstAlternate Plumage (Not illustrated) Calls buffy breastbands They schematically resemblejuvenile Least Sandpipers,but Unlike mostother stints, one-year-old Two callsare regularly given in flight are more brightly coloredand are whiter Little Stintsusually follow the adultsto a rolling "chirrk," higher-pitchedand onthe breast and face. By September,the the breedinggrounds. Some individuals moresqueaky than the call of the Seml- plumagemay be very faded. The four acquirea first alternateplumage that is palmatedSandpiper; and a drier, flatter charactersmost typical of juvenile Little indistinguishablefrom that of the adults, "chit"or "chut,"with the qualityof the Stint are: 1. Two distinct "V" marks on while othersare very similar to winter- LittleStint but not aspiercing. The latter the upperparts,one of theseformed by plumagedbirds. call is sometimes uttered in a series. white tips on the outer mantlefeathers, andthe secondby whitetips on the lower RUFOUS-NECKED STINT DefinitiveAlternate Plumage row of upperscapulars. 2. The greater (Plate 5d, e) and middle coverts,particularly the an- Calidris ruficollis teriormostones, and the lowerscapulars, Distribution This plumageis acquiredby a partial have broad, dusky brown centersthat molt,including the entire body plumage conceal the shaft streak, buff or rufous andsome wing coverts, during March to edges,and sometimes,whitish tips. The Rufous-neckedStints are a high arctic species,'breeding along the northern May. Individualsin full plumage are temals are also patternedlike the lower easilyidentified by the brightrufous or coastof Siberiafrom the Taymyr Penin- scapulars---darkbrownish black with tawny "gorget," which is clear and un- bright but narrow rufous edges. Some sula east to the ChukotskiyPeninsula, and also in western and northern Alaska streakedon the throat, sidesof neck, and birdshave covertsthat closelyresemble thefacial region just below the eye. The alongthe coastsof the Seward Peninsula those of the Rufous-neckedStint (Fig. readershould beware, however, of sche- and aroundPoint Barrow. They winter 14, P1. 2a). Such individualspose very maticallysimilar, althoughlarger, San- mainlyin southeastAsia, from China and difficult identificationproblems. They derlings.A bandof duskyspots, largest usually lack the distinctive anchor- Burma east through Malaysia to New and most. intense at the sides of the Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. The shapedsubterminal spots seen on the breast,encircles the upperbreast below largestnumbers of migrantsare record- coverts of Rufous-neckeds, and have the gorget,but doesnot extendonto the ed, in bothspring and fall, in Japan,Chi- paler faces, buffier (not dirty gray) throat.Thus, an abruptdemarcation Is na, andthe Philippines. Migrants are reg- breasts, and crisper markings on the apparentnear the center of the breast ularin the AleutianIslands and along the breastsides. 3. Little Stintshave a gray Thereis a vaguewhitish patch encircling napethat contrasts strongly with the dark westcoast of Alaska. Vagrantshave been the base of the bill.The other most strik- seen in North and South America, in crown and bright mantle. 4. The very ing featureof the Rufous-neckedStint is dark crownforms a dark ridge, which is westernEurope, and in South Africa. the strong•contrast between the dusky emphasizedby a bright whitish lateral brown scapularsand the pale gray or crownstripe (cf. PI. 2i andj). Structure brownishgray wing covertsand tertials The breastof juvenile Little Stints is Some unusuallybright individualsmay washedwith buff, brighterthan the gray have a few middle and greatercoverts washof Rufous-neckeds,and tendsto be Comparedto Little Stints, Rufous- neckedStints have a moreelongated and thatare "summer"-patterned (i.e., dusky moreclearly streakedwith duskybrown squatbody shape, an effect that is en- with rufousfringes), thus resembling the atthe sides. The lack of grayon the breast coverts of Little Stints, but such individ- of Little Stints results in a noticeably hancedby the shortertarsi and longer wings. Like Little Stints, they have ualswill be sobright about the headas to white-frontedappearance. Furthermore, be unmistakable.Fresh-plumaged indl- the anteriormostwing covertsof Little blackishlegs and lack webbingbetween the toes. The central tail feathers are vidualshave a frostedappearance (Fig Stints are especially dark, sometimes comparativelylong, sometimesproject- 16)due to whitishtips to the entireupper- giving a dark-shoulderedlook reminis- ing beyondthe primarytips. The wings parts, so that they lack the two discrete centof a Sanderling.An occasionalLittle of Rufous-neckedStints are longer than "V" marksof Little Stints. Stint (Fig. 15) lacksrufescent fringes to the upperpartsand looks exceedingly thoseof any othersmall Calidris, so that their hind end is particularlyattenuated. Definitive Basic Plumage (Plate 3a, b) pale Suchbirds, which presumablyare Rufous-necked Stints have rather ab- the basis for allusionsto "gray-phase" ruptly slopingforeheads and shortbills This plumageis acquiredby a com- Little Stints, perhapsrepresent a poly- with stoutbases, and so are more like the pletemolt of the body plumagebetween morphismor an aberrantlack of melanin. SemipalmatedSandpiper than the Little Julyand October. The primariesmay be Stint in head shape.The bill of the Ru- replacedeither on the winteringgrounds Ftrst Basic Plumage (Plate 4a) fous-neckedis usuallystraight, but is oc- or during migration (Cramp and Sim- casionallyslightly drooped.The extent mons 1983). The feathers of the fore- This plumageis acquiredby a com- of variationin bill size is enoughso that neck,the innerwing coverts,and the ter- plete molt, the body feathersbetween distinctionfrom either heavy-billedLit- tialsare ordinarily the lastto be replaced, Octoberand December and the primaries tles or short-billedSemipalmateds is not so that birds in advancedmolt (Plate 3a) betweenDecember and April. The juve- possibleon thischaracter alone. Western can be identifiedreadily. nal wing covertsare retaineduntil at least andSemipalmated sandpipers usually ap- The basicplumage is palergray above December,sometimes until April, which pearlonger-legged and have a moreerect than that of Little Stints, and is less fre- permitsaging of most winter birds. stance than Rufous-necked Stints. quently"blotched" on the upperpartsbe-

Volume 41, Number 2 231 cause the dark feather centers are reduced usuallyless prominent than that of Semi- vember.As the pale fringesto the wing to fine shaft streaks. Rufous-necked palmatedSandpipers, mainly because the covertsare quickly lost through abrasion, Stintswith patchyor blotchedupperparts auricularsare paler in the formerspecies birds in first basic plumageare usually in the British Museum collection exam- and therefore contrast less. On Rufous- difficultto distinguishfrom adultsin the inedby Jonssonproved to be misidenti- necked Stints, the dark lores and white field unless the contrast between coverts fled Little Stints. However, the feather- forecrownare the two most prominent and mantle can be discerned. ing may darkenwith wear, which would featuresin the facial region. tend to obscure this difference. For separationof juvenile Rufous- First AlternatePlumage (Not illustrated) The followingpoints of distinctionbe- neckedStints from Little Stints, the color tween basic-plumagedRufous-necked patternof the wing coverts,lower scapu- Acquiredby a partial molt, including and Little stintshave been drawn partly lars, tertials, and sidesof the breast are the bodyfeathers, tertials, and rectrices, from discussions between Jonsson and critical: 1. Rufous-necked Stints have thisplumage varies in intensityof color- Killiam Mullarneyin 1984. 1. The grayz palegray wing covertsthat lack contrast- ation. One individual seenat Monomoy ish patchesat the sidesof the breastof ingly dark centersand bright buff or rn- Island, Massachusetts,in late June 1980, Rufous-neckedStints are more promi- fousfringes. Fresh individuals have pale (Veit and Petersen1982) was a bit paler nent than those on Little Stints, due to a buffyedges and tipsto the wing coverts, thanthe adultin Plate5. The intensityof clearer white wedge that extends up- but thesewear off quickly. Little Stints, the plumagecoloration attained reflects wardsin frontof thebend of the wing. 2. on the other hand, have brightly pat- the hormonal condition of the bird. Thus, The grayishbreast patches, auriculars, ternedwing coverts, which, becauseof thosewintering in the southernmostpor- nape, and hindneck are less heavily theirdark centers, are patterned more like tion of the winter range look most like streaked on the Rufous-necked. 3. The the upperparts.The three anteriormost basic-plumagedbirds during their first loresand feathering in frontof the eye are middle and greatercoverts on the Ru- summer. These birds look like basic darker on Rufous-neckeds, and enhance fous-neckedStint usually lack the solid adults,but the feathersof the upperparts the whitish forecrown. 4. Some Little dark centersof those of Little Stints, so have more extensive dark centers. Thus, Stintsdevelop a completepectoral band that the dark shaft streak can be discerned in spring they resembleSemipalmated of duskyspeckles, white Rufous-neckeds in goodlight. 2. Similarly, the tertialsof Sandpiperson the upperparts,but lack never do. Rufous-neckedStints are pale gray with heavystreaking on thebreast and flanks. Rufous-neckedStints in basicplumage visible shaft streaks, while those of Little In Australiaduring June through August, are very difficult to distinguishfrom Stintsare solidly dark. 3. Each of the all individualsin first alternateplumage SemipalmatedSandpipers on plumage lower scapularsof Rufous-neckedStints show "some" rufous on the facial area charactersalone, and one mustthus rely is palegray with a suffused,dark, subter- and scapulars(Paton and Wykes 1978). on lack of webbing in the Rufous- minal spot, muchless extensive than the necked. correspondingdark centers of Little Stintsand not so clearly anchor-shaped as JuvenalPlumage (Plates la, b; 2i) on SemipalmatedSandpipers (Fig. 10). 4. The pectoralband of Rufous-necked Schematically,the upperpartsof juve- Stints is grayish, with faint and diffuse nile Rufous-necked Stints are most simi- streaks towards the sides and a blush of lar to thoseof WesternSandpipers, but palebuff in freshindividuals. The breast the brightnessof their upperparts,com- bandis distinctlydarker and grayer, not bined with the short bill and lack of web- as buffy as that of a Little Stint in fresh bing of Rufous-neckeds,make them plumage.5. The whitishtips to the upper mostsimilar to Little Stints. Many Ru- scapularsand mantle feathers never con- fous-neckedStints, especially worn indi- vergeas two distinct"V" marks,as they viduals,appear grayish and nondescript, usually do on Little Stints, but appear and are therefore more similar to Semi- rather as a diffuse series of speckles. palmatedSandpipers than to Little Stints. Some juvenile Rufous-necked Stints If the presenceof webbingcannot be havewing covertsand tertials that lookas confirmedon a bird in question,the fol- darkas those of typicalLittle Stints.This Figure 18. Least Sandpiper in first basic lowingplumage characters are usefulin may be a result of feather wear. Such plumage.California, October.Photo/L. Jons- separatingjuvenile Rufous-neckedStints Rufous-neckedsusually differ from Lit- son. fromjuvenile Semipalmated Sandpipers. ties in having smudgedgrayish breast 1. Rufous-neckedStints normally have sidesand a more diffuse face pattern. bright cinnamon/rnfousfringes to the One such bird (Fig. 17) shows all the crown, mantle, scapulars,and tertials. charactersof the Rufous-neckedexcept The rnfouscoloration is mostprominent thatthe covertsand tertials appear dark. onthe mantleand upper scapulars, where LEAST SANDPIPER thefeather centers are contrastingly dark. Calidris minutilla This lastarea contrasts strongly with the First Basic Plumage (Not illustrated) pale gray lower scapularsand wing cov- Distribution erts;such a contrastis not normallyevi- Thisplumage, consisting of new body dentin SemipalmatedSandpipers. 2. The featheringand one or two tertialsand tail This abundantand widespreadNorth facialpattern of Rufous-neckedStints is feathers,is acquiredin Octoberand No- American speciesbreeds in sub-arctic

232 AmericanBirds, Summer 1987 Leastshave very slender,finely pointed ing of these feathersis such that when bills, which appearto curve gradually worn, by late July, the entireupperparts throughouttheir length, due mainly to the appearsolidly dusky (even darker than upwardcurvature of thelower mandible. Plate 6d). From a distance,Least Sandpipers' bills are so tiny as to be almostinvisible, Definitive Basic Plumage (Plate 4e) whichis notthe casewith Semipalmated or Westernsandpipers. This plumageis acquiredby a com- When flushed, Least Sandpipersrise plete molt mainly betweenAugust and almostvertically from the groundin a October. Birds that winter in South seriesof horizontallurches ("towering") America postponethe body molt until rather than flying directly away. The their arrival there in mid-August,while wingbeatslook weak and flutterywhen thosewintering in California begin re- the bird flushesin this fashion.The light placingbody feathers in July. Therefore, wingbaris less obviousthan on other basic-plumagedbirds are rare in the Figure 19. Typicalstance and head pattern of NorthAmerican peeps, but morepromi- Northeast,but are frequentelsewhere. juvenileLong-toed Stint. nentthan in the Long-toedStint. Overall, basic-plumagedLeast Sand- In mostcircumstances, Least Sandpip- pipers appeardark brownishgray and ers are easily identifiableand are only rather blotchedon the upperpartsand andboreal regions, farther south than ei- liablebe confusedwith Long-toedor pos- have a complete dusky pectoral band. ther Westernor Semipalmatedsandpip- siblyTemminck's stints because of their The blotchingor heavy spottingon the ers, from westernAlaska, Southampton yellowishlegs. In LeastSandpipers, the upperpartsis the resultof broadand dif- Island. and northern Labrador, south to legsvary from a pale olive greento a fuse shaft streaks, rather than of uniform- northwestern British Columbia. northern clear dull yellow, but sometimeslook ly duskyfeather centers, as in Long-toed Ontario,and Nova Scotia.They winter, dark when coveredby mud, in which Stints.By January,however, when new, mainlyin coastalareas, along the Pacific Leastsfrequently forage. dark-centeredalternate feathers begin to coastof North Americanorth to Oregon, appear,and old basicfeathers are abrad- alongthe East Coast north to NorthCaro- Calls ed, the overall coloration resembles that lina, and also in Central America, the of the Long-toedStint more closely. In West Indies, and in SouthAmerica south The mostfrequently uttered call is a fresh plumage,the pectoralband looks to southern Peru and Suriname. high-pitched,drawn out and rolling uniformlydusky, but it becomesmore On migrationthrough North America, "chrreep,"or sometimesa disyllabic streakedduring the courseof the winter LeastSandpipers usually avoid the open "kre-ep." Leasts also give a fainter as alternatefeathers grow in. A grayish tidalflats preferred by Semipalmatedand "kleep"or"chuip" without the rolling superciliumand whitish eye ring arerath- Westernsandpipers, and feed insteadin quality.Compared with the Long-toed er pronouncedcompared with dark- grassypools at the upperreaches of salt Stint's, the Least Sandpiper'scall is leggedpeeps, but are not sodistinct as in marshes, among Spartina grasses on higher-pitchedand less musical;com- the Long-toedStint. marshes,and aroundthe edgesof fresh- paredto thatof Temminck's,it is slightly The patternof the upperparts,in addi- water pools. This behavior, however, lowerin pitchand less ringing. tion to that of the facial area described varies from location to location and be- underthe juvenal plumage(Fig. 18), is tweenseasons. For example,spring mi- the best means of distinction from a ba- grantLeast Sandpipers feed on tidal flats DefinitiveAlternate Plumage sicoplumagedLong-toed Stint, which is in Newburyport,Massachusetts, in May, (Plate 6c, d) also somewhatpaler on the breast. butforage among the Spartina during the fall. Despitethese differences in foraging The definitivealternate plumage is ac- Juvenal Plumage (Plate 2e, k) behavior,Leasts frequently roost at high quired in a partial molt involving the tidein mixedflocks with otherspecies of bodyplumage, tertials, central rectrices JuvenileLeast Sandpipersstand out peeps. andoften several wing coverts,between clearly in flocks of Semipalmatedor Januaryand April. Westernsandpipers because of their dark Behavior and Structure In alternateplumage, Least Sandpipers rufescent upperparts and complete, look dark brown from any distance. speckledpectoral bands. On freshindi- Least Sandpipersdiffer behaviorally Bright cinnamon/rufousbarring on the viduals,white tips to the mantlefeathers from the largerNorth American peeps in scapulars,tertials, mantle, crown, and andscapulars converge to form two strik- that they usuallyprefer the more grassy auricularsgive someindividuals a rufes- ing "V" marks,so that from above,they partsof marshes,rather than the exposed cent cast, so that they approachLong- schematicallyresemble juvenile Little tidal flats. Their comparativelyhunched toed Stints in upperpartcoloration. The Stints. posturegives them a creepingappearance headand breast look dingy, andare heav- JuvenileLeast Sandpipers most close- as they feed. The neck is short,the bill ily streakedwith dusky.The supercilium ly resemblejuvenile Long-toedStints. small, and the primarieshardly project is dirty gray, and thereforenot promi- The most consistent differences are: 1. beyondthe tail. The foreheadis very nent.The tiger-stripingof the scapulars, Head pattern: Least Sandpipershave steep,as the peakof the crownis located tertials,and some greater coverts is more "dirtier"facial patterns and are less crisp- forewardof the eye(cf. Long-toedStint). complexthan on otherspecies of peeps ly streakedon the cheeksthan Long-toed Comparedto SemipalmatedSandpipers, exceptthe Long-toedStint. The pattern- Stints.The groundcolor of the face is a

Volume 41, Number2 233 dirty gray, rather than whitish, as on Long-toedStints. On Leasts,the auricu- lars are darkestat the rear end, so that the auricularpatch appears removed from the eye(cf. Plate2d, e). The loral regionof Least Sandpipersis dark, broad, and straight,and connectsthe eyeswith the bill asa "mask."The eye ring is obvious, andthe eye itselfappears oval; the com- Figure20. Comparisonofjuvenile Long-toed Stint (a) andLeast Sandpiper (b). bined effect is a somewhat oriental ex- pression.The foreheadis lightenough so dyrskaya,the Commanderand Kuril Is- by thecrouching Least Sandpiper. thatthe supercilia appear continuous over lands,and the northernSea of Okhotsk, The legsrange from olive or dull yel- the bill, whereasin the Long-toedStint andalso south to LakeBaikal. Very little low in juvenilesto dull orangein breed- the forecrownis dark. 2. The wing cow informationis availableon thebreeding ing adults.In flight. Long-toedStints erts of Least Sandpipersare pale gray of Long-toedStints, and Dement'ev et lookvery dark, with conspicuously dark- with completebuff or cinnamon/rufous al. (1959) list aboutsix known recordsof bandedunderwings, and a very faint fringesthat give the wing a warm brown nests,most from the"alpine zone of east wingstripe. They occasionally flick their cast.Long-toed Stints, on theother hand, Siberia."The evidenceavailable sug- wingsrigidly, as do SpottedSandpipers havedarker gray wing covertswith whit- geststhat Long-toed Stints breed in habi- (ActitismacMaria). The toes protrude ish edgesthat are brokenat the tip, alto- tatssimilar to thoseused by LeastSand- beyondthe tail, which is neverthe casein gethergiving a colder,blacker cast to the pipers. anyother peep except the WesternSand- wings. Long-toed Stints winter in southeast piper. Asia, from southernIndia, southeastChi- First Basic Plumage (Hate 40 na, andthe Philippines south through the Calls Malay Penninsula,Java, and Borneo to Thisplumage is acquiredby a moltthat northernAustralia. Migrants occur regu- Themost typical call is a softlyrolling is eithercomplete or partial;those winter- larly in the westernAleutian Islands dur- "chrmp,"somewhat resembling that of ingin SouthAmerica replace all feathers ing springand fall, and vagrantshave the Curlew Sandpiper(Calidris ferru- exceptsome outer primariesand wing appearedwest to Swedenand Britain and ginea),and obviously lower-pitched and covertsbetween September and Novem- eastto Oregon. more liquid, or musical, than that of a ber, while thosewintering in California LeastSandpiper. molt only the bodyplumage during the Behavior and Structure sametime period. DefinitiveAlternate Plumage (Plate 6e) First-winterbirds retain the juvenal The scantinformation available sug- wing coverts, and sometimesa few ter- geststhat migrantLong-toed Stints feed Thedefinitive alternate plumage is ac- tials, so that thesebirds may be distin- in inland, grassypools more often than quiredby a partialmolt, involvingthe guishedfrom adultsif the pale buffy on opentidal flats, and thusseem closest bodyplumage, tertials, central rectrices, fringesof thecoverts and tertials have not to the LeastSandpiper in habitatprefer- and mostwing coverts,from March to wornoff. Agingby thesecriteria is possi- ence. May. Long-toedStints in this plumage ble untilat leastJanuary. Long-toedStints owe much of their appearbright rulescent above, including rather distinctiveshape and postureto somewing coverts,and thereforeresem- First AlternatePlumage (Not illustrated) theirespecially long toes (mainly the cen- ble alternate-plumagedLittle Stints. tral one)and legs. If the feet can be seen This plumage,which closelyresem- clearly,the spindly toes give the impres- blesthe definitivealternate, is acquired sionof an awkwardlylarge foot, as on a by a partial molt between March and gallinuleor jacana.Long-toeds also ap- May, or about one month later than pearto havecomparatively small heads, adults.Age determination of suchbirds is thin necks, and a short stern, so that the not ordinarilypossible in the field. overall shapeis more suggestiveof a Sharp-tailedSandpiper ( Calidris acumi- nata)than of a LeastSandpiper. The bill is typicallystraighter than that of a Least Sandpiper,due to less curvaturein the lowermandible, and is veryfinely point- LONG-TOED STINT ed. Thereis a dirty yellowishbase to the Calidris subminutu lower mandible. The forehead is less abruptthan on a Least Sandpiper;this, Distribution particularlywhen the neck is extended, gives the bird a delicate appearance. The Long-toedStint is theleast studied When in an alert posture, Long-toed of all the smallCalidris. Its breeding Stintsare vaguelyreminiscent of a small Figure 21. JuvenileTemminck's Stint British rangeis quitelarge, extending from the Tringa. suchas a SolitarySandpiper (T. Columbia,eartv September.Photo/D. Paul- Ob River in central Russia east to Ana- solitaria),an impression never conveyed 3'on.

234 AmericanBirds, Summer 1987 Some specimenswe have examined, The supercfl•um•s broad and whitish, TEMMINCK'S STINT which may be one-year-olds,are rather andextends beyond the auncularsto the Cahdrts temmtncktt drab abovedue to extensivegray-brown back of the head. There are two distinct, fnngesto the feathersof the upperparts. whitish, lateral crown stripes(Fig. 19). Distribution Most individuals,however, are boldly The breastis finely streaked,more exten- slnpedwith blackishand rufous, and are sivelythan in a LeastSandpiper, so that Temminck's Stint is a widespread thereforemuch more vividly patterned the streaks more often continue to the Palearcticspecies, breeding in arcticand thanany Least Sandpiper. The headpat- center. The feathersof the upperparts sub-arcticregions from Scotland and tern is distinctive: the crown is dark have dark brown centers, cinnamon/ru- centralScandinavia east along the coastal brown with fine rufous streaks and bor- fousfringes, and whitish tips on the scap- portionsof northernRussia to Anadyrs- dered below by a broad, whitish, and ulars.The intensityof the fringesvaries kaya and the ChukotskiyPeninsula. It sharplydefined supercilium that extends froma pale, almostorange-buff to a dark wintersin tropicalsub-Saharan Africa, •n well beyondthe eye andgives the bird a rufousor tawny. The individualin Plate the MediterraneanBasin, the Arabian d•st•nctlycapped appearance. The crown 4d is abraded;fresh individuals are much Peninsula,India and southeastAsia south •sdark all the way to the baseof the bill, brighter.Two setsof "V" marks,one on throughoutthe Malay Peninsula. M•- andto the lores, so that there is no whitish the mantleand one on the scapulars,are grants occur regularly in the western forecrownas in a Least Sandpiper(Fig. usuallymore conspicuous than thoseon AleutianIslands, and vagrants•have 18) The continuousdusky coloration be- LeastSandpipers, but aresimilar to those reached the northwestern coast of the tween the lores and forecrownis only of Little Stints. United States.They are nowhereespe- sharedby somealternate-plumaged Little The followingcharacters are the most cially numerous,flocks of 100 to 200 St•nts. consistentdifferences between Long- birdsbeing unusual at anylocation. Most The breastis clearly streakedat the toed Stintsand Least Sandpipers:1. The seem to be found singly or in small s•des,but usually unmarked in thecenter, greater,middle, and lesserwing coverts groupsat inland sitesalong the muddy and•s entirely suffused with a cinnamon/ of Long-toedStints are slate gray with marginsof freshwaterlakes, ponds, and rafouswash. The breastpattern thus re- broad whitish or cream-colorededges rivers,or at poolsin grassymarshes. semblesthat of juvenile Sharp-tailed that are brokenat the tips. The coverts Sandpipers.A yellowish"V" markis of- therefore contrast as colder than the ru- ten obvious on the mantle. fousand blackish scapulars. Least Sand- Structure and Behavior pipershave completewarm buff or ru- fousfringes to the wing coverts,so that Temminck's Stint is the most distinc- DefinitiveBasic Plumage (Plate 4c) there is no strongcontrast between the tiveof all thepeeps, and is thereforeusu- wingsand scapulars. 2. The headpattern allycomparatively easy to identify.It has This plumageis acquiredby a com- of the two speciesis quitedifferent (Fig. a crouching,horizontal posture, with an pletemolt of thebody feathers in August 20). On Long-toedStints, the dark crown elongatedsilhouette suggestive of a and September.A few alternate-pat- and whitish, black-fleckedsupercilium Baird'sSandpiper. The neckis short,the ternedfeathers are found on winter speci- producea stronglycapped effect not un- head small and rounded, and the bill mens,and appearto be newly grown. like that of juvenile Sharp-tailedSand- short, finely pointed, and slightly de- The Long-toedStint has the darkest pipers. In Long-toeds,the dark crown curved due to a curvature in the lower upperpartsof any basic-plumagedpeep. continuesto the base of the bill, and the mandible. The bill often has an olive The only likely confusionat this stage loresare whiter than in LeastSandpipers. cast,particularly toward the base.The would be with a Least Sandpiper. legsare relativelyshort for a peep, and The patternof the feathersof the up- vary in colorfrom olive to dark yellow perpartsis differentfrom that of Leasts First Basic Plumage(Not illustrated) When flushed, Temminck's Stints (Plate4c, f). Long-toedStints have broad "tower" as do Least Sandpipers,w•th dark centersand discretepale fringesto This plumageis acquiredby a partial fluttery,energetic wingbeats, often call- thesefeathers, while on Leaststhe dusky molt, involvingmost of the bodyfeath- ing repeatedly. shaft streaks are diffuse and the feathem ers, sometertials, and somerectrices, be- becomegradually paler toward the edge. tween Septemberand November.The Calls The headpattern differs from that of wing coverts,as well as one or two ter- LeastSandpipers as it doesin juvenile tiais, are usually retained, permitting plumage,but is somewhatless clearly identificationof youngbirds in mid-win- The typicalflight call is a characteris- marked. ter. tic short"trree," with a ratherhigh, ring- ing quality.This call is oftenrepeated •n rapid series. JuvenalPlumage (Plates4d; 2d, 1) First AlternatePlumage (Not illustrated)

Juvenile Long-toed Stints are most This plumage, acquiredby a partial DefinitiveAlternate Plumage s•mflarto Least Sandpipersof the same molt during April and May, resembles (Plate 6f, g) age, but are more contrastinglycolored the definitive alternateplumage except andgenerally more striped above, recall- for the retainedjuvenal flight feathers, This plumageis acquiredthrough a •ngvaguely the pattern of juvenilePecto- tertials,and wing coverts.Some individ- partialmolt includingmost body feath- ral Sandpipers(Calidris melanotos). The ualsacquire feathering that moreclosely ers, wing coverts,and central tail feath- cap•s verydark with fine rufousstreaks. resemblesthe basic plumage at this stage. ers,during the periodFebruary to May

Volume41, Number2 235 B•rdsare especially drab on the upper- permostscapulars are the broadest,pro- LITERATURE CITED partsat th•sstage, compared w•th other duclnga dark-spottedeffect. There is an CRAMP, S. and K. E. L. SIMMONS (Eds) peeps,lacking strongrufous tones or olive castto the entireplumage, and the 1983. The Birds of the Western Palearctic whitishtips to the feathers.The mantle feathers also lack extensive dark centers. Vol. III. OxfordUniversity Press, Oxford and scapularsinclude a variablenumber The headappears very uniform, lack- DEMENT'EV, G.P. et al. 1959. Birds of the of basic-patternedgray feathersmixed ingany distinctive pattern. There is a pale SovietUnion. Vol. III. IsraelProgram for w•th alternate-patternedones, which are superciliumthat extendsslightly beyond Scientific Translations,Jerusalem. blackish in the center with rufous and GRANT, P. J. 1983. Size illusion. British the eye. As in basicplumage, there is a Birds 76: 327-334. bufffringes. Some individuals acquire a brownishwash• on the upper breast, --. 1984.Identification of stintsand peeps "full" alternateplumage, but a "mixed" which extends down each side in lateral British Birds 77: 293-315. •mpressionillustrated by Plate6f andg is patches,similar to the patternof non- HARRINGTON, B. A. and R. I. G. MORRI- moretypical. There is a dirtygray, faint- breedingSpotted Sandpipers. SON. 1979. SemipalmatedSandpiper mi- ly streaked"bib" across the upper breast grationin NorthAmerica. Studies in Avlan thatsuggests the analagouspattern in ju- First Basic Plumage (Not illustrated) Biology2: 83-100. HUMPHREY, P.S. and K. C. PARKES venile SpottedSandpipers. Unlike all 1959. An approachto the studyof molts other peeps, Temminck's Stints lack This plumageis acquiredin a partial andplumages. Auk 76: 1-31. prominentstreakings at the side of the moltduring August to December,and in- PALMER,R. S. 1967.Species accounts, pp breastin alternateplumage. There is a cludesthe body feathers, some wing cov- 143-267.In G. D. Stout(Ed.). The Shore- conspicuouseye ring in this and other erts, and the central tail feathers. It seems birds of North America. Viking Press, plumages,but the superciliumis incon- unlikely that immaturescan be distin- New York. PATON, D.C. andB. J. WYKES. 1978 Re- spicuous. guishedfrom adults after the basic plum- appraisalof moultof Red-neckedStints In Thetail israther long and the outer two ageis acquired. southern Australia. Emu 78: 54-60. pairsof tail feathersare white, unlike PHILLIPS, A. R. 1975.Semipalmated Sand- thoseof all otherspecies, in whichthese FirstAlternate Plumage (Not illustrated) piper:identification, migrations, summer feathersare gray. This characteris strik- andwinter ranges. Am. Birds29:799-806 ing on individualsflushed at closerange, This plumageis acquiredin a partial PRATER, A. J., J. H. MARCHANT, and J VUORINEN. 1977. Guide to the Identifi- but is otherwise difficult to see. moltof the bodyfeathers, wing coverts, cation and Ageing of HolarcticWaders and tertialsduring April to June. These BTO Field Guide 17. British Trust for Or- Definitive Basic Plumage (Plate 4g) individualsare inseparable from adults in nithology,Beech Grove. the field. RUCK, A. T. M. 1977. Temminck's Stint This plumageis acquiredby a com- with black legs. British Birds 70:392 pletemolt of the bodyplumage between SMITHE, F. B. 1975. A Color Guide for Nat- uralists. American Museum of Natural Julyand September, although the prima- History, New York. ry molt may be arrestedand then not VEIT, R. R. and W. R. PETERSEN. 1982 completeduntil April. First and second records of Rufous-necked ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In basicplumage, Temminck's Stints Sandpiper(Calidris ruficollis) for Massa- are uniformlydark neutralgray on the chusetts.Bird Observerof EasternMassa- upperpartsand upperbreast. The uni- V AmOUSI)UAFrS of this manuscript chusetts 2: 75-77. formity of the colorationon the breast werecritically read by Per Alstr6m, VOITKEVICH, A. A. 1966. The Feathers andPlumage of Birds.Sidgwick and Jack- g•vesthe bird a hoodedappearance. Ba- P. A. Buckley,Thomas H. Davis, Ben King, Guy McCaskie, William C. Rus- son, London. s•c~plumagedTemminck's Stints are WALLACE, D. I. M. 1974. Field identifica- sell, Guy A. Tudor, and an anonymous only likely to be confusedwith Least tionof smallspecies in thegenus Cahdrls Sandpipersand Long-toedStints. Tem- reviewer,whose comments substantially British Birds 67: 1-17. rninck'sStints differ from both those spe- improvedits contents.P. A. Buckley, 1979. Review of British records of ciesin: 1. Lackinga superciliumbehind Thomas Carm6n, Ed Greaves, Richard SemipalmatedSandpipers and clmmed C. Chandler, Per Alstr6m, Takeshi Red-necked Stints. British Birds 72: 264- theeye. 2. Lackingpronounced streaking 274. or specklingon the breast. 3. Lacking Shioto, Thomas H. Davis, Urban Ols- conspicuousdark feathercenters on the son, M. Marend, and Dennis Paulson upperparts.Temminck's Stints also have kindly providedphotographs, some of a ratherprominent eye ring. Question- which appearhere. We gratefullyac- ablebirds can always be flushedto reveal knowledgethe professional assistance in the color of their outer tail feathers. typing,editing, and retyping provided by Barbara M. Braun and Diana Mullis. JuvenalPlumage (Plate 2f, Figure21) John Farrand, Jr., Mary LeCroy, and --Dept. Ecol. & Evol. Btol , StuartKeith (American Museumof Nat- Univ. of Californta, Juvenile Temminck's Stints are the ural History), RaymondA. Paynter,Jr. Irvine, CA 92717 (Velt), mostdistinctive of all peeps.The most (Museum of Comparative Zoology), Norrgarde,Hamra, S-62010 strikingaspect of this plumageis the RalphW. Schreiber(Los AngelesCoun- Burgsvik,Sweden (Jonsson) presenceof dark subterminalbars and ty Museum),and Carl Edelstam(Natur- bufffringes on the mantle, scapulars, and historiskaRiksmuseet, Stockholm) pro- tertials, schematicallyresembling the vided valuable assistance and extended patternof juvenileRed Knots(Calidris every courtesyin allowing us accessto canutus).The subterminalbars on the up- collectionsin their charge.

236 AmericanBirds, Summer 1987