Remsen, J.V. 1978 White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis Monterey area [cont] June 3 off a white eyebrow. The face was a pale grayish with the palest area in the lower cheek area. The breast brownish gray was strongly striped, little a Pectoral Sandpiper except that the background color between the stripes was white, not buff. The breast stripes ended abruptly and the remainder of the underparts where white, except for disintegrating stripes and spots along the sides to the upper flanks. The back was striped dark brown with some buffiness between stripes. The wings were brownish with many of the coverts dark-centered and pale-edged; the folded primaries appeared a solid dark brownish. In flight, the rump/uppertail covert area was white and the tail was dark. That the rump was completely white was clearly seen twice in flight and also once when preening the rump area. The white rump eliminates any other small shorebird except 3 species which have longer legs and bills and are larger in body size (plus many other major and minor differences): Curlew Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, Stilt Sandpiper. The only species remotely similar in shape, Curlew Sandpiper, lacks conspicuous breast streaks and has a decurved bill. The call note of the Curlew Sandpiper is not unlike other Calidris whereas the distinctive call of the White-rumped is unique among shorebirds - I'm familiar with both. The Carmel bird gave a call totally unlike that given by any shorebird I've ever heard - a very high-pitched squeal similar to call note of Costa's Hummingbird.