Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Presence in the Strait: Vagrant
IUCN (global): LC · Least concern
In Spanish: Correlimos pectoral

Photograph: Andrew Cannizzaro, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 19–23 cm
Wingspan: 38–44 cm

Presence in the Strait

Accidental. A bird in the Janda (Vejer de la Frontera) on 09/09/06. In the marshes of Barbate one to two birds on five dates between 16.09.10 and 24.09.10, another bird in the same place on 16.09.11.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Calendar in the Strait

72 %

Peak in September. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 10 September 2006
Latest record: 28 September 2022

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Not included
Spanish Catalogue: Not included
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: DD · Data deficient · wintering or migrating
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Same genus in the Strait

Sanderling20–21 cm · Seasonal · overlapping size
Curlew Sandpiper18–23 cm · Migrant · overlapping size
Dunlin16–22 cm · Seasonal · overlapping size
Red Knot23–25 cm · Migrant · overlapping size
Little Stint12–14 cm · Seasonal

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
GBIF taxon key: 2481744

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Andrew Cannizzaro, CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026