The pectoral sandpiper, often abbreviated pec, is a small, migratory wader that breeds in arctic regions of North America and Asia, wintering in South America and Oceania. It eats small invertebrates. Its nest, a hole scraped in the ground and with a thick lining, is deep enough to protect its four eggs from the cool breezes of its breeding grounds. The pectoral sandpiper is 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in) long, with a wingspan of 38–46 cm (15–18 in).
Region
Arctic North America and Siberia; winters in South America and Oceania
Typical Environment
Breeds on wet Arctic tundra with sedge meadows, hummocky ground, and shallow pools. During migration it frequents freshwater marshes, flooded fields, mudflats, and the edges of ponds and lakes. In the nonbreeding season it uses coastal estuaries, shorelines, rice fields, and sewage lagoons. It often associates with mixed flocks of other small shorebirds where food is abundant.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2500 m
Climate Zone
Polar
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Named for its heavily streaked breast with a sharp cutoff to a white belly, the pectoral sandpiper is a long-distance migrant breeding in the Arctic and wintering far to the south. Males perform striking display flights and produce low, booming hoots using an inflatable throat sac. They are notable vagrants, regularly appearing well outside their normal range, including in Australia and New Zealand.
Adult in breeding plumage; note sharp margin of breast colour
At Cosumnes River Preserve in Sacramento County, California.
Temperament
wary and active
Flight Pattern
low, fast flight with short rapid wingbeats; agile over wetlands
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season it often forages in loose flocks with other shorebirds. On breeding grounds males are polygynous and display by flying or standing while emitting booming hoots from an inflated throat sac. Nests are shallow ground scrapes lined with plant material; females incubate and tend the young without male assistance.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Generally quiet, giving sharp chup or prrit contact calls while feeding or flying. Displaying males produce a series of low, resonant hoots that carry over the tundra.
