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Medium-sized, gray shorebird with short yellow legs and straight bill.
Not listed
At a glance
FamilySandpipers and Allies
SizeMedium
RarityUncommon
HabitatMudflats, saltmarsh, estuaries, beaches, lagoons, and shallow inland wetlands.
Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from November to March.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Logan McLeod
Range map
Range map
195visible hotspots
4073visible records
3states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
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
Elongated, horizontal posture. In breeding plumage, look for jaggedly barred underparts and thin white eyebrow; similar in winter but with plainer gray underparts. Sometimes close to other rock-loving shorebirds like turnstones, Surfbird, and Rock Sandpiper. Compare with extremely similar Gray-tailed Tattler, which overlaps extensively in range in western Alaska, the South Pacific, Australia, and parts of Asia. Wandering is more closely associated with rocky habitats as opposed to beaches and mudflats, but this shouldn’t be used as a definitive field mark. Plumage differences are very subtle. In breeding plumage, Wandering averages coarser and more extensive barring on underparts, and juveniles usually have darker gray flanks. All ages have a longer groove on the upper mandible.
Behavior
Usually found on rocks, where it typically forages independently while bobbing its tail up and down. Best characteristic is voice: Wandering typically gives a ringing trilled call, much different than Gray-tailed’s two- or three-noted “too-wee” call.
Gallery