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Bird name:

Wandering Tattler

Tringa incanaOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Codes: Common Name: WATA Scientific Name: TRIINC ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176630

Breeding Location:

Mountains

Breeding Type:

Monogamous

Breeding Population:

Uncommon to fairly common

Egg Color:

Olive or green marked with brown

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

23 - 25

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Lined with twigs and other vegetation.

Migration:

Migratory

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.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Wandering Tattler

Wandering Tattler: Medium sandpiper, solid gray upperparts and heavily black-and-white barred underparts. Face is finely streaked and eye line is dark. Long, black bill. White eye ring. Dull yellow legs and feet. Eats insects, larvae, worms and mollusks. Quick, direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Song: "whit-wee-wee-wees"

● Foraging & 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.

● Breeding & 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.

● 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.

Flight Pattern

Quick direct effortless flight with rapid flicking wing beats.

● Range & 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.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationUncommon to fairly common

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight4.1 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Eye line

The line of feathers just in front of and behind the eyes. It extends back from the posterior angle of the eye. This can be a useful trait used in identification in the field since it is very noticeable.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Wandering Tattler

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Wandering Tattler

Flight Pattern