|
|
|
Terek Sandpiper
(Xenus cinereus)
Size: 22-24 cm; wing span 57-59 cm
Weight: 60-110 g
|
|
 |
Similar
species |
|
|
 |
Physical description |
|
 Click here for a physical description
Terek Sandpipers are small waders.
Their plumage
is cryptic.
During the non-breeding
season, except for some light-grey on
the chest and shoulders, the front, from throat to undertail
coverts, is white. The frons and eyebrows are also white, while
the ear coverts are very lightly streaked light-grey. The lores
are grey, the frons is white. The back, including the crown and
the nape of the neck, is grey, with a brownish tinge, especially
on the wings.
In-flight they show an inconspicuous dark-grey wing bar and a
distinct white trailing edge.
During the
breeding
season, the head, neck and chest become
white with fine dark-grey streaking. The wing feathers turn more
slate-grey, without a brownish tinge.
The eyes have dark irises. The dark-grey bill is visibly upcurved,
has a brownish-orange base and is long (about twice the size of
the head). The legs and feet are orange-brown.
In flight the trailing feet reach the tip of the tail.
Juveniles
roughly resemble
non-breeding
adults,
but they have a spotted (rather than streaked) front with a buff
wash and the back has a crisper scaly appearance, with
prominent light-grey edge lining.
 |
Twitcher's tip |
|
Among the various species of small
sandpipers and stints,
Terek Sandpipers are the only ones with a clearly upcurved bill.
The correct identification of waders ("shorebirds"), e.g. of the
Calidris, Tringa, Actitis and
related families or of the Charadrius, Pluvialis and related genera
in the field can be quite tricky. We have therefore made an attempt to
give some advice HERE.
|
 |
Taxonomy, classification |
|
See Terek
Sandpiper at Wikipedia  .
|
|
 |
Range, habitat |
|
Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Terek Sandpiper is available
HERE
.
Terek Sandpipers are a migratory species.
The preferred breeding grounds of Terek Sandpipers lie near water
in the taiga from Finland in the West to northern Siberia, to
about the Kolyma River, in the East.
They spend the northern winters in tropical coastal East Africa,
parts of Arabia, in southern and south-eastern Asia and in Australia.
In Arabia some Terek Sandpipers stay as winter visitors, others
are on passage to their wintering grounds in eastern Africa.
They are usually found in coastal wetlands, such as intertidal
wetlands with mangrove, estuaries, saltmarshes or mudflats. They
are only rarely seen in aquatic habitats in the interior.
Terek Sandpipers are found mostly in coastal muflats and along
beaches.
They are only rarely seen around freshwater courses.
|
 |
Sightings |
|
Click here for sighting information
Terek Sandpipers were first spotted by us in Sur, near the eastern
tip of Oman, in May 2010.
|
 |
Photos |
|
 |
ADULT |
|
 |
BREEDING |
|
Lateral view of a small flock of Terek Sandpipers in breeding
plumage
in flight; note the dark stripe on the upperwings
[Sur, May 2010]
Lateral view of a small flock of Terek Sandpipers in flight
[Sur, May 2010]
Lateral view of a small flock of Terek Sandpipers in flight
[Sur, May 2010]
More photos were obtained by us in Australia. To go to the Australian
page, click here.
 |
Food, Diet |
|
Like other members of the Tringa, Xenus and Actitis families we have seen
Terek Sandpipers hunt insects and other small animals along the edges of
shallow water. Terek Sandpipers were seen by us around salt water.
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Call/s
