Wandering Tattler

Tringa incana (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

26–30 cmLength50–55 cmWingspan108 gWeight

This medium-sized sandpiper has a gray back and white belly, and bobs its head rapidly while foraging in water.

Busiest months: September · Most records: United States, U.S. Outlying Islands, French Polynesia

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Upperparts, face and neck gray; belly white
Legs and feet short and deep yellow
Bill dark gray
Belly distinctly barred in breeding plumage

Voice

A rapid, increasingly hurried, staccato trill of 3–4 syllables per call.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: September · Most records: United States, U.S. Outlying Islands, French Polynesia

Wandering Tattler has been recorded at 202 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 33 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Southeast Farallon IslandUnited States10,357 records
St. Paul IslandUnited States4,651 records
Pillar Point HarborUnited States1,306 records

More places

Midway Atoll – Water Catchment AreaU.S. Outlying Islands801 records
Fort MasonUnited States708 records
Pt. PinosUnited States679 records
Pt. Reyes – Fish DocksUnited States361 records
Pt. Pinos – seawatch onlyUnited States345 records
Midway Atoll NWR – Sand IslandU.S. Outlying Islands330 records
GambellUnited States311 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States U.S. Outlying Islands French Polynesia Ecuador Canada Norfolk Island Guam Cook Islands

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The wandering tattler (Tringa incana) is a medium-sized shorebird, similar in appearance to the closely related gray-tailed tattler (T. brevipes). The tattlers are unique among the species of Tringa for having unpatterned, greyish wings and backs, and a scaly breast pattern extending more or less onto the belly in breeding plumage, in which both also have a rather prominent supercilium.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Wandering Tattler?

The Wandering Tattler is about 26–30 cm long, with a wingspan of 50–55 cm and weighs around 108 g.

Where does the Wandering Tattler live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, North America: subarctic montane tundra of far northeastern Palearctic and northwestern Nearctic: Chukotka (northeastern Siberia), Alaska mainland (except far northern), Yukon, far Northwest Territories and northwestern British Columbia (northwestern Canada). It is most often recorded in United States, U.S. Outlying Islands and French Polynesia.

When is the best time to see the Wandering Tattler?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Wandering Tattler endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Wandering Tattler as Least Concern.

What does the Wandering Tattler eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Wandering Tattler in?

It belongs to the family Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: 26–30 cm
Wingspan: 50–55 cm
Weight: 108 g
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 165 mm
Tail: 72 mm
Bill: 45 mm
Tarsus: 33 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, North America: subarctic montane tundra of far northeastern Palearctic and northwestern Nearctic: Chukotka (northeastern Siberia), Alaska mainland (except far northern), Yukon, far Northwest Territories and northwestern British Columbia (northwestern Canada)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2