Surfbird

Overview

Surfbird: Medium sandpiper, dark gray upperparts marked with rufous, white rump, white underparts marked with distinct black chevrons. Upper breast, head, neck are heavily streaked. Wings are dark with bold white stripes visible in flight. Tail is white with a black triangular tip visible in flight.

Range and Habitat

Surfbird: Breeds in rocky mountain tundra throughout Alaska and the Yukon Territory. Found on rocky shores along most of the Pacific coast, from southeastern Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in southern Chile, outside of breeding season.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Surfbird is usually classified in a genus of its own, as Aphriza virgata, but recent data suggests it is very close genetically to the Red and Great Knots and should be included in Calidris genus.
Indeed, the Great Knot looks similar to a larger, longer-billed, somewhat darker surfbird.
The USS Surfbird (AM-383) is one of 173 Auk Class minesweepers built during World War II for service in the United States Navy.
She was eventually decommissioned and sold. Renamed the Helenka B, she was involved in the March 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill clean up.
They remain on the nest until the last moment, and then fly up in the intruding animal's face, a defense mechanism used on humans as well.
A group of surfbirds are collectively known as a "board" and a "kahuna" of surfbirds.

The Surfbird is a small wader which is classified in its own genus. The preferred breeding habitat of this species includes rocky ground in Alaska and the Yukon. Each year, the female will lay 4 eggs in a nest scraped in the ground. Young birds feed themselves and eat insects and invertebrates. During winter months, the Surfbird will fly south to Pacific coasts of North America and South America, including southern Alaska and Tierra del Fuego. Diets usually consist of insects and seeds, but may dine on mollusks and crustaceans during the winter. The conservation rating for the Surfbird is Least Concern.