Upland Sandpiper

Bartramia longicauda

HOW TO IDENTIFY:

* Length: 10 inches
* Long-legged, small-headed, long-necked shorebird of grasslands
* Legs yellow
* Thin, short bill
* Very large dark eye stands out against pale face
* Black rump and long tail, with dark bars
* Dark outer wing contrasts with brownish inner wing in flight
* Often perches on fence posts or stumps
* Sexes similar

Adult:

* Dark cap
* Pale head and neck streaked with brown
* Whitish eyering and throat, pale lores
* Brown back and wing coverts with pale edges and black bars
* Buff neck and breast and white belly with dark chevrons on neck, breast and flanks

Juvenile:

* Very pale head without the contrast between the cap and face of the adult

Similar species:

Buff-breasted Sandpiper has a similar shape, but is much smaller and has a plain buff face and underparts, with spots rather than chevrons on sides of neck and breast, a shorter tail, and bright silvery wing linings.