** Reply to note from Dennis P. -


> Hi tweeters,
>
> It's fall, and shorebirds are beginning to outnumber dragonflies (or at
> least so all birders hope) and impinge on my consciousness again. Here's
> another identification question for those of you with WWW access:
>
> http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/birddrawing1.html

OK.

What this bird is likely not:

Eurasian Dotterel - bird in question does not have the typical plover shape, and
its wingtips (folded primaries) do not extend to tip of tail as in EUDO.

Ruff - does not have the jizz. Quote from Harrison's "Shorebirds - An
Identification Guide" (1986), hereafter referred to as Harrison: "Despite
variability (..of plumage of Ruff), small head, shortish decurved bill, longish
neck, pot-belly, hump-back and long legs are always distinctive." Head seems too
big in relation to body on drawn bird for a good match for Ruff. However, this
is assuming a high level of accuracy on the part of the artist.

Dunlin - bill wrong size/shape, being too stubby for Dunlin.

What it may be:

Pectoral Sandpiper - possible if suspended/slowed molt is entertained as a
possibility. Some male Pecs are so heavily marked with black in nuptial plumage
that the breast looks blackish. If this bird were injured when post-nuptial molt
was beginning enough to suspend or slow molt, i.e. the upper breast is in the
process of molting but the lower breast has not yet started, then such a plumage
is not impossible. As well, Michael's suggestion that the darkness of the lower
breast could be dried blood is well-taken, but this would have had to have been
a very recent injury in that case since I would assume that it would have
eventually faded through wading in water or preening. However, a big negatory
here is the primary extension: Pecs primaries extend to the end of the tail when
folded, unlike our mystery bird which pull up short. Now we have to consider the
possibility that the outer primaries are themselves in a process of molt and are
shorter than would be the case when grown in completely. Is so, then this
consideration falls out of contention as a distinguishing feature.

Rock/Purple Sandpiper - Purple Sandpipers *almost always* have a yellow base to
the bill, as noted by Michael Price. However, this is not as consistent in
Rocks. The variation of plumage of Purple completely overlaps most races of
Rock, except for the nominate race of Rock which is distinctive in breeding
plumage. Even so, the bill looks too thickish for either species.

Summary - I agree with Michael Price that there is insufficient information
rendered by the portrait to make an absolute identification. It is not
impossible that this is an oil-stained bird which would further complicate the
identification process. I am leaning toward an oil-stained Pectoral Sandpiper
which is in the process of post-nuptial (=prebasic) myself. Oil-stained birds
often exhibit some level of debilitation as evidenced by this bird's limp. I
would have liked to have known the location and date of the sighting. It would
have helped put the sighting into context.

- Jack




Jack Bowling
Prince George, BC
jcbowling at mindlink.bc.ca