In all plumages, this species is distinguished from the other small sandpipers by its short black legs, all-black bill which is straight or only slightly decurved, and wing tips that extend well beyond the tail. Alternate Adult: Back and scapular feathers black and brown with silvery fringes. Head and neck pale buffy brown with fine dark streaks on the crown and neck, and an indistinct pale supercilium. Fine dark streaks on breast form a fairly neat bib. Remainder of underparts white. Basic Adult: Less patterned above. Pale gray-brown upperparts with a buffy wash on the breast. Juvenile: Warm buffy-brown upperparts and breast. Feathers of upperparts fringed in white, creating a strong scaly pattern.

Length: 14 (cm) Wingspan: 38 (cm)

Voice:

Flight call is a trilled throaty breeeep.

Habitat:

Nests on arctic tundra. In migration, uses mountain tundra, drier edges of freshwater wetlands, grassy fields.

Behavior:

Tends to feed in drier habitats than other sandpipers.

Feeding:

Feeds primarily on insects.