The Pectoral Sandpiper is a medium-sized shorebird, measuring about 8.3–10.2 in (21–26 cm) in overall length, with a wingspan of roughly 19–22 in (48–56 cm). In flight it shows long, pointed wings and a relatively short neck; at rest its densely streaked breast sharply abuts a clean white belly—a key field mark. In Arizona, Pectoral Sandpipers are uncommon spring (April–May) and fall (August–October) migrants, most often encountered on mud-flats, flooded agricultural fields, sewage-pond edges and desert playa margins. They turn up at places such as Willcox Playa, agricultural reservoirs near the Lower Colorado River Valley, and other ephemeral wetlands across the state. Feeding by probing soft mud for aquatic invertebrates, they can form loose flocks with other peep-sized shorebirds before continuing on their long migration between Arctic breeding grounds and South American wintering areas.
