Photo: Donna A. Dewhurst/USFWS · Alaska · U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service · Public Domain
Shorebirds
Rock Sandpiper
Calidris ptilocnemis
A stocky, chunky shorebird that clings to wave-washed rocks and kelp beds along the Aleutian coastline — the only regularly occurring shorebird in the Aleutians in winter. The Pribilofs subspecies (*ptilocnemis*) is the palest and largest, with a distinctive white-flecked gray plumage quite different from the breeding-plumage bird.
Where to look
Rocky shorelines and kelp beds throughout the Aleutian chain; common on St. Paul Island (Pribilofs) year-round. Often overlooked as it blends with dark basalt rocks.
Habitat
Rocky intertidal zones, kelp-covered boulder shores, and wave-splashed headlands.
Diet
Marine invertebrates including mussels, barnacles, periwinkles, and amphipods.
Natural history note
The Pribilof Islands subspecies of Rock Sandpiper (*C. p. ptilocnemis*) is so distinctly plumaged that it was once considered a separate species, the 'Pribilof Sandpiper'.