Terek Sandpiper  |  

The Terek Sandpiper is pale brownish-grey with finer dark streaking on the upper body, head and sides of breast. Body length is approximately 22–24 cm, with a wing span of 36–45 cm and an average weight of 95 g (Marchant & Higgins 1993). The feet are orange to orange-yellow, the eye is brown and the bill black with a dirty range base and evenly-upcurved (Geering et al. 2007; Hayman et al. 1986). The underparts are white with a greyish wash forming an incomplete breast-band. On each scapular, a blackish band of feathers forms an irregular line down the centre (Hayman et al. 1986). Sexes are similar, and in breeding season, the main difference is stronger and increased streaking across the head. Juveniles appear similar to breeding adults, but with less pronounced streaking on the head, and with fringing of pale buff-brown on upper feathers. The black shoulder stripe on juveniles can appear more as dashes than a line (Geering et al. 2007).