Terek Sandpiper

Xenus cinereus

Family: Sandpipers and Allies · Status: Uncommon migrant · Size: 22–25 cm · Conservation: Least Concern

Range

Breeds from northeastern Europe to eastern Siberia; winters in Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Indonesian archipelago.

Identification

A short-legged sandpiper with a distinctive upturned bill. Breeding adults have gray-brown upperparts with blackish scapular lines; non-breeding birds are plainer with brownish-gray upperparts and a paler head. Orange-red legs recall Common Redshank, but Terek shows much shorter legs and an upturned bill. In flight, lacks white wing-bar (unlike Common Sandpiper) and has a prominent white trailing edge to wing.

Habitat

Coastal mudflats, sandflats, and beaches.

Behaviour

Associates with Common Redshanks and other waders.