1. A shorebird of the grasslands, the photo above provides an accurate depiction of my preferred habitat.
2. I breed in the Arctic, but am most often seen by birders during winter months along rocky shorelines in southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
3. Unlike some of similar plover relatives, many of my kind remain in North America in winter, and can be found along both coasts.
4. My black belly, present in breeding plumage, is a key identification feature.
5. In migration in North America, I am usually found in open grassland and agricultural lands.
6. I am a year-round resident of the Pacific coast of North America.
7. I am a fairly common migrant in the eastern half of North America.
8. My dark brown upperparts with white spotting making me relatively simple to identify.
9. I breed in the northern nterior plains of North America, while wintering along the Pacific coast and as far south as the coast of South America.
10. I could provide the scientific name, but that would give it away.
11. I left my heaaart...in San Franciscooooooo....well, that's where I got the photo, anyway.
12. I am one of the "peeps", those smallest of little sandpipers.
13. My scientific name is Numenius americanus, with Numenius representative of the term "new moon", a phrase in reference to the crescent shape of my bill.
14. I am rather plain, until I take flight and flash the strong black-and-white pattern on my wings.
15. If this were the "EASY shorebird quiz", I'd show the adult, but this is the "MEDIUM" quiz. But even as a youngster, I show the same upcurved bill as my parents.
16. OK, I admit that with this photo, I'm trying to fool you.
17. Differentiating this species from a close cousin can be tough, but the differences are obvious upon close examination.
18. Unlike most bird species (but akin to humans), the females of my kind are more brilliant in appearance.
19. I am one of the more widely distributed of the North American shorebirds, breeding in much of Canada and the northern United States.
20. I have a very close relative that is similar in appearance, but I am found in freshwater more than my cousin.
