Plover? Texas, USA (1 Viewer)

[ahoyalex]

Hello!

I have been trying to identify this bird I saw on a riverbank for about two months now. It looked like it was a shore bird, probably in the plover family. It bears a striking resemblance to the Snowy Plover but it was darker in color and didn't have the white or black band that many of the North American plovers have.

It had a white chest/neck, the back, wings, and head were gray, and there was a very defined black stripe on the upper edge of the wing(the part nearest the body, as you can kind of see in the picture). I haven't been able to identify any local birds with the exact same pattern. The line between the gray and white feathers was very clear and it didn't have any spots or stripes that I could see.

I only have one really shitty picture, which I attached along with a photo of a Western Snowy Plover for comparison (if that's even possible lol).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[jmepler]

I get a Spotted Sandpiper vibe from the picture, and it would fit your description as well as long as it was still in non-breeding plumage.

 

[KC Foggin]

I'm leaning towards a Plover myself rather than a Sandpiper but as to which, I'm not sure.

Hi there and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum :t:

Our geniuses we have around here should give you an answer before long.