Detail showing nasal groove.
This close-up (top and middle) shows the nasal groove extending from the tip of the nostril past the midpoint of the bill. This is diagnostic for Wandering Tattler vs. Gray-tailed Tattler (T. brevipes) which has a shorter nasal groove. Unfortunately, this groove is seldom visible in the field and observers may confuse the nasal groove with the nostril resulting in misidentifications. This species is endemic to the Pacific Ocean migrating from the Arctic along both coasts to South America, Asia and Australia as well as the South Pacific Islands. In California it is a fairly common migrant along rocky shores, but scarce in winter. In Asia it is usually less common than the very similar Gray-tailed Tattler (T. brevipes). Older field guides placed the tattlers in the genus Heteroscelus, but the
AOU merged them into Tringa in the 47th Supplement. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS.
Reference:
Gill, Robert E., Brian J. McCaffery and Pavel S. Tomkovich. (2002). Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana), The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America: https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/wantat1