Surfbird

Types of Birds Home

Types of Shorebirds Black Oyster Catcher Black Turnstone Dunlin Greater Yellowlegs Killdeer Long-billed Curlew Long-billed Dowitcher Least Sandpiper Lesser Yellowlegs Marbled Godwit Pectoral Sandpiper Red-necked Phalarope Sanderling Semipalmated Plover Spotted Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Willet Wilson's Phalarope

Surfbirds (Aphriza virgata) are medium sized shorebirds that look similar to the more common Spotted Sandpiper.

The spotted breast and orange bill are common field marks for both species.

Surfbird bills, however, typically have only the small orange patch on the lower bill. The upper and lower parts of the Spotted Sandpiper bill are typically an orange color.

They are a West Coast bird, almost always found on rocks and ledges that are furthest away from the shoreline.

Their diet is varied, consisting of the insects and spiders that find their way onto the rocks. They are also know to eat seeds and small marine organisms.

© 2007. Patricia A. Michaels