Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus is Nearctic breeder, accidental to Taiwan. ID & COMPARISON Breeding unmistakable, with heavy, transverse barring on underparts. Winter and juvenile may be mistaken for Dunlin C. alpina or Curlew Sandpiper C. ferruginea, but note greenish-yellow legs (legs of latter two are black), which are also longer than Dunlin and Curlew Sandpiper and extend far behind tail in flight. Winter and juvenile breast streaking more extensive than Curlew Sandpiper and extends along flanks to undertail coverts. Longer legs also allow Stilt Sandpiper to feed in deeper water than Dunlin and even Curlew Sandpiper. In flight, reveals white rump similar to Curlew Sandpiper, but no distinct wing bar. BARE PARTS Black, decurved bill thick to tip. VOICE Rolling call similar to Curlew Sandpiper. — Craig Brelsford
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Daniel Bengtsson served as chief ornithological consultant for Craig Brelsford’s Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of China, from which this species description is drawn.
