General
Wandering Tattler: Medium-sized sandpiper with solid gray upperparts and heavily black-and-white barred underparts. Face is finely streaked and eye line is dark. Sexes are similar. Winter adult and juvenile have gray breast and white belly.
Range and Habitat
Wandering Tattler: Breeds in mountainous areas of south-central Alaska and northwestern British Columbia. Spends winters on Pacific coast from central California southward. Found on rugged, rocky coastlines, jetties, and breakwaters, but during migration may be found on sandy beaches and coastal estuaries.
Breeding and Nesting
Wandering Tattler: Four olive or green eggs marked with brown are laid in a shallow cup of twigs and roots, built in a hollow among rocks or gravel. Incubation ranges from 23 to 25 days and is carried out by both parents.
Foraging and Feeding
Wandering Tattler: Diet includes various adult and larval flies, especially caddisflies and crane flies during the breeding season. On wintering grounds, forages by probing among the kelp and rocks of outer coast marine habitat for crustaceans, marine worms, and small mollusks. Occasionally wades in deep water, and may immerse its head completely to catch food.
Vocalization
Wandering Tattler: Clean hollow whistles repeated rapidly in one pitch; also "whit-wee-wee-wees."
Similar Species
Wandering Tattler: Gray-tailed Tattler has fine dark gray bars on breast, flanks, and edge of undertail coverts, and no bars on belly.