The Terek sandpiper wasformally described and illustrated in 1775 by the German naturalistJohann Anton Güldenstädt under thebinomial nameScolopax cinerea. He reported that he had seen pairs breeding at the mouth of theTerek River where it flows into theCaspian Sea.[2] It is now the only species placed in thegenusXenus that was introduced in 1829 by the German naturalistJohann Jakob Kaup.[3][4] The genus nameXenus is fromAncient Greekxenos meaning "stranger"; the specific epithetcinereus isLatin for "ash-grey" fromcinis, cineris, "ashes".[5] The species is considered to bemonotypic, nosubspecies are recognised.[4]
Among theScolopacidae,Xenus is part of theshank-tattler-phalaropeclade and less closely related to thecalidrid sandpipers. Based on the degree ofDNA sequence divergence and putative shank and phalaropefossils from around theOligocene/Miocene boundary some 23–22million years ago, the Terek sandpiper presumably diverged from their relatives in theLate Oligocene. Given the numerousbasal fossils of the group found inEurasia it is likely that the Terek sandpiper lineage originated there, possibly by being isolated as the remains of theTurgai Sea dried up, which happened just around this time.[6][7][8]
Slightly larger than thecommon sandpiper at 22–25 cm (8.7–9.8 in) length, its long upcurved bill – somewhat reminiscent of anavocet's, but not as strongly curved – makes it very distinctive. As the scientific specific name implies, this wader has a grey back, face and breast in allplumages; a whitesupercilium may appear more or less distinct. The belly is whitish and the feet yellow; thebill has a yellowish base, with the rest being black.
This bird breeds near water in thetaiga fromFinland through northernSiberia to theKolyma River, andmigrate south in winter to tropical coasts in east Africa, south Asia andAustralia, usually preferring muddy areas. It is a rare vagrant in western Europe, and particularly in autumn it is sometimes seen passing through theMarianas on migration; onPalau, further off its usual migration route, it is decidedly uncommon on the other hand. Almost annually and apparently more and more often in recent times, a few birds stray toAlaska and theAleutian andPribilof Islands. Every few years, individual vagrants are recorded in theNeotropics, where they arrive either as migrating birds from Africa, or as North American strays accompanying local waders south for winter. Such vagrants have been recorded as far south asArgentina.[9][10][11]
The overall genetic variation in Terek sandpipers across their range is low, with some evidence of contractions followed by expansion. Although the geographically isolated Dnieper River population in Eastern Europe does show significant genetic differentiation.[12]
It feeds in a distinctive and very active way, chasing insects and other mobile prey, and sometimes then running to the water's edge to wash its catch.
It lays three or four eggs in a lined ground scrape.
This is one of the species to which theAgreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Widespread and often quite commonly seen, the Terek sandpiper is not considered a threatened species by theIUCN.[13]
^Wiles, Gary J.; Johnson, Nathan C.; de Cruz, Justine B.; Dutson, Guy; Camacho, Vicente A.; Kepler, Angela Kay; Vice, Daniel S.; Garrett, Kimball L.; Kessler, Curt C.; Pratt, H. Douglas (2004)."New and Noteworthy Bird Records for Micronesia, 1986–2003".Micronesica.37 (1):69–96.
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