SANDPIPERS 
201 
Distribution. North and South America. Breeding on the central Arctic coast from 
the Mackenzie eastward, migrating through the interior and the east. More common in 
the eastern than the western prairies and so far not recorded from British Columbia. 
Commonly seen with the Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers on 
muddy rather than sandy shores. 
241. Baird’s Sandpiper, la maubeche de baird. Pisobia bairdi. L, 7*40. A 
small sandpiper, somewhat similar to a large Least Sandpiper. Below, white; above, 
brown, variegated with feather edges of shades of buff, rusty, 
and white. A suffused band of pale buff across breast, softly 
streaked with darker. 
Distinctions. The buff breast-band is suggestive of the 
Pectoral Sandpiper, but it is never so extensive nor so sharply 
defined and the striping is always soft and obscure. In some 
conditions of plumage it may look like the White-rumped Sand- 
piper, but the black instead of white rump will separate it easily. 
Field Marks. In life, like a large Least or Semipalmated 
Sandpiper, but with a buffy breast suffusion and a scaly rather 
than striped appearance on the back. It commonly accom- 
panies flocks of “peeps.” Often in life like a Buff-breasted 
Sandpiper owing to white underparts being in shadow, but with 
black instead of dull yellow legs and with a whitish chin. 
Distribution. North and South America. Breeding in 
western Arctics. Migrates along both coasts and through the 
interior. 
Peeps 
“Peeps” is a colloquial, collective name applied to the smallest species 
of sandpipers. They do not form a systematic group but are similar 
enough in habit and general appearance to be popularly grouped together. 
Figure 288 
Baird’s Sandpiper; 
scale, L 
Characteristic bills of Peeps; 
natural size. 
Note, These bill sizes are not by any means infallible. There is considerable individual variation and occasion- 
al Semipalmated, or even Western, Sandpipers may have bills smaller than some Leasts. In life it is claimed that 
the bills of the Least and Western are appreciably decurved, but that of the Semipalmated is straight or slightly 
upturned. It takes careful observation to note this, however. 
They are minute shore birds, not larger than small sparrows. They come 
in immense flocks and cover the mud-flats and sand-bars with a dense, busy 
crowd, weaving complicated patterns of delicate footprints in the soft 
mud. They follow a retreating wave to garner the roughly tumbled 
insect life in the undertow, and glide back in calm haste, just ahead of the 
