A Synopsis of the Birds of North America

by John James Audubon

* Third toe wanting.

339. 12. Tringa arenaria. Sanderling Sandpiper.

Plate CCLXXXV. Summer. Plate CCXXX. Male and Female in winter.

Bill about the length of the head, straight, and with the feet black; hind toe wanting. In winter the general colour of the plumage ash-grey, the lower parts pure white; alula and primaries brownish-black, the latter with more or less white on their outer webs, or along the shaft; secondaries white, the outer with a patch of black towards the end, the inner ash-grey; primary coverts greyish-black, tipped with white; middle tail-feathers greyish-brown, their shafts white, the rest of a paler tint on the outer webs, white on the inner, the lateral almost pure white. In summer the upper parts of the head, hind neck, lateral, and fore part of the neck, pale yellowish-red, streaked with brownish-black; the back similarly marked, with larger spots, and on the scapulars disposed in bars; the tips of most of the feathers greyish-white; the other parts as in winter.

Male, 7¹⁰/₁₂, 12¹/₂.

From Texas along the coast to Maine in autumn and spring, extremely abundant. Breeds from Lat. 55° northward.

Ruddy Plover, Charadrius rubidus, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 129. Summer.

Sanderling Plover, Charadrius Calidris, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. vii. p. 68. Winter.

Calidris arenaria, Sanderling, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 366.

Sanderling Plover, Calidris arenaria, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 4.

Sanderling, Tringa arenaria, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 231; v. v. p. 582.

GENUS II. PHALAROPUS, Briss. PHALAROPE.

Bill scarcely longer than the head, straight, slender, at the base somewhat cylindrical, toward the end broader and flattened, the tips narrowed; upper mandible with the dorsal line straight, excepting at the end, where it is a little decurved, the ridge convex, flattened at the broad part, the sides slightly sloping, the edges rounded, and near the tip inflected; nasal groove linear, extending to near the tip; lower mandible with the angle very long and narrow, the sides convex and sloping outwards, the tip narrowed. Nostrils basal, linear-elliptical. Head small, with the fore part high and rounded; neck of moderate length; body rather full. Feet rather short, slender; tibia bare a short way above the joint; tarsus much compressed, narrowed before and behind, covered anteriorly with numerous scutella; toes very slender, first extremely small, free, with a slight membrane beneath; second shorter than the fourth; third toe much longer, all scutellate above, the anterior margined on both sides with lobed and pectinated membranes, which are united at the base, so as to render the foot nearly half-webbed, the outer web much longer than the inner. Claws very small, compressed, arched, obtuse. Plumage soft and blended; wings long and pointed, first quill longest, secondary quills rather short, the inner much elongated. Tail of moderate length, much rounded, of twelve feathers, the lower tail-coverts as long.