Surfbird

General Description

The Surfbird is a plump shorebird with a short, plover-like bill, gray above and orange below. Its gray wings show prominent, white wing-stripes in flight. The tail has a white base with a black subterminal band. In breeding plumage, the Surfbird has salmon-colored patches on its wings. These fade considerably during the breeding season, and may be peach or almost white by the time the birds return to Washington in the fall. Birds in breeding plumage are covered with a wash of dark spots, giving them an overall speckled appearance. The juvenile is gray with white-edged feathers and a breast flecked with white. The adult in non-breeding plumage is also gray, but lacks the white-edged feathers and has no streaks on its breast.

Surfbirds are Fairly Common September-April.

Habitat

Surfbirds spend their entire lives in rocky areas. They breed in the rocky mountain tundra of Alaska and the Yukon, and migrate to rocky coastal shores. In winter, they are almost always within a few meters of the tidal line. They sometimes forage in non-rocky areas, but this is unusual.

Behavior

Surfbirds occur in small flocks, usually with fewer than 25 birds, and are almost always seen in Washington with Black Turnstones. They are also seen with Rock Sandpipers, Wandering Tattlers, and occasionally Ruddy Turnstones. The Surfbird's bill is well adapted to prying food off rocks.