Range.—Breeds from Nova Scotia and northern British Columbia northward; winters from the Gulf States and California southward.
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER
246. Ereunetes pusillus. 6.25 in.
Feet with small webs between the toes at their base. Similar in size and form to the [Least Sandpiper], but the upper parts are not as bright rusty, and the breast is only faintly streaked with dusky.
Range.—Breeds from Labrador northward.
247. WESTERN SANDPIPER (E. mauri) is very similar; more rusty above, with stronger markings.
RED-BACKED SANDPIPER
243. Pelidna alpina sakhalina. 8 in.
Bill slightly decurved and rather stout. Adults in summer, with the upper parts largely bright rusty; belly black; head, throat, breast and sides strongly streaked with black. In winter, dull brownish-gray above and white below, with the breast washed with grayish and slightly streaked with dusky. Found in large flocks on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, during migrations, but rarely in the interior. Their flight is very rapid and performed in very compact flocks that act as if governed by one impulse. They are very active, feeding for a short time in one place, then flying to another. They are found most abundantly on sand bars and mud flats, rather than on the open beach.