Wandering Tattler

The Wandering Tattler, Tringa incana, is a medium-sized wading bird with a distinctive appearance. It boasts unpatterned, greyish wings and back, and during the breeding season, it sports a scaly breast pattern that may extend onto the belly. A prominent supercilium is also a feature of its breeding plumage.

Identification Tips

Adult Wandering Tattlers have stocky bodies with gray upperparts, underwings, face, and neck, contrasting with a white belly. Their legs are short and dark yellow, complemented by a dark gray bill. In breeding plumage, they exhibit heavy barring underneath.

Habitat

These birds are found in rocky areas along mountain streams during the summer breeding season.

Distribution

The Wandering Tattler breeds in far-eastern Russia, Alaska, and northwestern Canada, with some found along portions of the California coast. Outside the breeding season, they frequent rocky islands in the southwest Pacific and Pacific coasts extending from California to South America and reaching as far as Australia.

Behaviour

The Wandering Tattler is known for its active foraging in the water, characterized by jerky bobbing movements. They may repeatedly return to the same location to feed and are often seen flying low over rocky coastlines or along jetties.

Song & Calls

The call of the Wandering Tattler is a distinctive rapid trill composed of accelerating, staccato notes, often with 3 or 4 beats per call.

Breeding

The female lays a clutch of 4 olive-colored eggs in a shallow depression. Both parents share the responsibility of incubation and feeding the young, who quickly become capable of foraging independently.

Diet and Feeding

Wandering Tattlers primarily feed on aquatic invertebrates, including crustaceans and marine worms. During the breeding season, their diet also includes insects.

Conservation status

The Wandering Tattler is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it is not at immediate risk of widespread decline.