Semipalmated Plover:

Charadriiformes: Charadriidae

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~Cardinal (1/2 size of Killdeer), plump, compact

• brown back
• single black breast band
• orange legs & eyering
• white belly, throat & forehead patch. 
  

Killdeer:

Charadriiformes: Charadriidae

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Taller, 2x size of Semipal. Plover

• brown above
• white below
• 2 black breast bands
• orange eyering
• olive legs

Call: "killdeer"

Greater Yellowlegs:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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• big black eye
• eyeband
• brown with light checkering
• yellow legs
• beak much longer than length of head

Call: always three notes in a row, "dew-dew-dew"

Lesser Yellowlegs:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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• brown with light checkering
• black eye
• eyering
  
• smaller than Greater
• beak is ~width of head
  

Call: always two (or one) note, "dew-dew"

Solitary Sandpiper:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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Smaller & shorter than Yellowlegs, no checkering

• brown back
• white belly
• white outter tail feathers
• black horiz. bands on tail
• white eyering

Call: clear, rising whistle, "weet-weet"

Spotted Sandpiper:

 Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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Always near water, teeter up & down as they walk

• upper plain brown
• white belly with heavy black spots
• breast looks grey/brown from a distance
• orange beak (others had brown)
  

Call: high pitched whistley "weet"   

Upland Sandpiper:

 Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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Grassland/prairie spp, larger & vertical posture, pigeon headed (small head, large eye), will perch very prominantly

• short, yellow beak
• skinny neck
• long tail
• brown & buff
• white belly with dark streaks

Call: alien spaceship taking off, "quip-ip-ip-ip-ip-ip-ip-ip"

Semipalmated Sandpiper:

 Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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~sparrow sized, short & stout (short bills and legs)

• camo looking
• white underneath
• blackish legs
• >Least Sandpuper
• >gray then Least Sandpiper
  

Least Sandpiper:

 Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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• green/yellow legs
• rufious above
• longer beak than semi
• wider streaks/dots on breast than semi
  

White-rumped Sandpiper:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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• >Semi (largest so far)
• even longer legs/beak
• wing tips reach beyond the tail tips
• flanks slightly spotted

Pectoral Sandpiper:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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Medium sized all over, chunky, yellow/green legs

•  dark, densly streakd chest contrasting against white belly
• dark center of rump & tail
• reddish/brown back 
• two white lines extending on back
  

Ruddy Turnstone:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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• Short, black beak that curves up
• short orange legs
• black/white clown face
  
• white/dark wing pattern in flight
• white lower back
• white tail w/black terminal band
• black chest/white belly
• bright red flanks
  

Dunlin:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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• black round belly patch
• rufious cap & back
• white bottom
• black decurved beak
  

Stilt Sandpiper:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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 Long green legs, long neck, long black decurved bill, white rump, gray tail

• heavily barred underside
• dark splotched back
•  orange eyestripe and median stripe on head
  

Short-billed Dowitcher:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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•  Long straight bill, green legs
• orange neck & chest with black spots
• white belly 
• light tail
• white rump that extends to wedge
• black/white barred tail
• reddish underparts
• dark crown
• reddish eyebrow stripe
• black scaley back
  

Long-billed Dowitcher:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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• Bill twice as long as head
• short neck, stocky body
• sewing machine-like feeding action
• slightly longer bill
• prefers freshwater (short-billed in saltwater)
• brownish breeding plumage, gray in winter

Wilson's Snipe:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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• long bill of the Wilson's Snipe is flexible 
• longitudinal stripes on head
• barring on flanks, short legs
• Brown with boldly striped back & head
• Tail rusty red
• Back black, brown, and gray
• pale stripes down back
• Underparts mostly white
• neck and breast heavily streaked with brown
• Barring along sides and flanks
• Bill dark brown at tip, reddish brown at base
• Eyes dark brown
• Legs greenish yellow or bluish gray

Call: a harsh "tuk-a-tuk-a-tuk"
Winnowing a hollow "hu-hu-hu" sound. Makes rasping "scaipe" when flushed. Hollow, low whistled sound called "winnowing" is used by the male to defend his territory and attract a mate

American Woodcock:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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• shorebird that lives in forests
• frequently encountered at dusk
• Plump, with round head.
• No apparent neck.
• Long bill.
• Brown and black concealing pattern.
• Colored in shades of brown, buff, and gray.
• Thick black bars across head.
• Large, black eyes.
• Short, brownish gray legs.

Call: gives repeated "peents" on the ground. After a time he flies upward in a wide spiral. As he gets higher, his wings start to twitter. After reaching a height of 70-100 m (230-328 ft) the twittering becomes intermittent, and the bird starts chirping as he starts to descend. He comes down in a zig-zag, diving fashion, chirping as he goes.

Wilson's Phalarope:

Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae

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M:

• gray above & white below
• white throat & face
• back of the male's neck is brownish
• face is white, bisected by a dark eye-line

In breeding plumage - both have black legs. During the non-breeding season, both sexes look similar--

• gray above and white below
• with yellow legs
• faces are white
• throats are gray.
• In flight, they are solid white below. Their wings are solid gray, with no white stripe. They have white rumps and light gray tails.

F:

• gray back with chestnut & black on the wings
• bold, black stripe running from bill across eye & down side of her neck
• head is gray above the dark stripe and white below
• front of neck is salmon-colored
• rump and undersides are solid white

Franklin's Gull:

Charadriiformes: Laridae

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• black-headed gull of the prairies
• Back ashy gray.
• Underparts white.
• Wingtips black with white tips and a white band.
• Medium-sized, fairly short-winged gull
• Bill is relatively short and straight
• Fairly round head gives "gentle" appearance
  

Bonaparte's Gull:

Charadriiformes: Laridae

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• Small gull
• White triangle in outer part of wing
• Back pale gray
• Underparts white
• Head black during breeding
• Dark spot behind eyes in winter

Ring-billed Gull:

Charadriiformes: Laridae

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• Yellow bill with black ring near the tip
• Head and underparts white
• Back light gray
• Wingtips black with white spots
• Legs yellow

Call: a shrill "oooww." Also series of short "a-a-a-a-a-a"s

Herring Gull:

Charadriiformes: Laridae

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• Head and underparts white
• Back light gray
• Wingtips black with white spots
• Bill yellow with red spot near tip of lower mandible
  

Call: loud, clear bugling

Common Tern:

Charadriiformes: Laridae

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• Cap solid black
• Back light gray
• Underparts pale gray
• Legs orange-red
• Bill orange-red with black tip
• Outer wing feathers black at tip
• Leading and trailing edge of wings in flight dark
• Outer edge of tail feathers dark gray
• Rump white, contrasting with gray back
  

The Common Tern drinks mainly on the wing, gliding with its wings slightly raised and dipping its bill several times into the water

Foster's Tern:

Charadriiformes: Laridae

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• pale grey upperparts and white underparts
• legs are red and its bill is red, tipped with black
•  grey centre to its white tail
• upperwings are pure white, (without the darker primary wedge of Common)
  

Black Tern:

Charadriiformes: Laridae

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• Small, dark tern
• In breeding plumage dark head and chest
• gray wings are distinctive
  

American Golden-Plover:

Charadriiformes: Charadriidae

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• Crown, nape, back, & wings dark brown with yellowish spots
• Face, throat, chest, belly, flanks, & undertail black
• White in line from forehead, above eyes, down back of neck to chest
• Wing feathers dark grayish brown
• Tail feathers barred light and dark grayish brown
• Wingtips extend well beyond tail
• Legs moderately long
• Neck short
• Bill short
• Head large and rounded