Gray-tailed Tattler — Australian Bird Identification Guide

Bird guideGray-tailed Tattler

A handsomely-marked medium-sized gray shorebird with a medium-length, straight bill.

⚠️WA: Rare; NT: Critically Endangered

At a glance

FamilySandpipers and Allies

SizeSmall

RarityCommon

HabitatSimilar to Wandering Tattler; note wider white eyebrows that meet on the forehead above the bill, shorter nasal groove (only visible at close range), and finer and paler barring on the underparts (present only in the breeding season) that do not usually extend to the undertail coverts.

Best timeMost reliable in Queensland from October to November.

Sounds

Sound sample

0:000:00

Recorded by Manuel Oudard

Range map

Occurrence window

1102visible hotspots

38678visible records

6states

Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Similar to Wandering Tattler; note wider white eyebrows that meet on the forehead above the bill, shorter nasal groove (only visible at close range), and finer and paler barring on the underparts (present only in the breeding season) that do not usually extend to the undertail coverts. Breeds near water in taiga and tundra, and frequents reefs, mangroves, mudflats, and beaches on migration and during the non-breeding season.