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Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus)

The Terek Sandpiper is a small migratory shorebird that uses coastal mudflats, sandbanks, lagoons, creeks and estuaries in Australia. It is listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, so clearing, construction and disturbance near intertidal feeding areas and communal roosts require specific controls.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Vulnerable.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

The species is migratory in Australia. Most birds arrive from August and remain through March or April, while breeding occurs in Eurasia from May to August.

Month values are January to December. A value of 1 means the activity or presence occurs, 2 means peak activity, and 0 means it is not typical. The supplied sources do not identify peak Australian months, so no months are marked 2.

  • Breeding: Breeding season is May to August in the northern forests, marshland valleys and Arctic tundra of the breeding range. The supplied sources do not describe breeding in Australia.
  • Young: Young are associated with the May to August breeding season in the breeding range. Australian dependence periods are not stated.
  • Migration and Australian presence: Females leave breeding grounds in early July, followed by males and juveniles mainly in August. Birds are generally present in Australia from August to March or April.
  • High-tide roost use: Australian birds use communal roosts during the migration period, including mangroves and dead trees near coastal feeding habitat.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and disturbance are most likely to harm the species when Australian migrants are present, generally August to March or April, especially where works affect feeding areas or communal high-tide roosts.

Identification

The Terek Sandpiper is a small, compact wader with a distinctive upturned bill and orange legs. It is usually encountered singly or in small feeding groups, but roosts communally at high tide.

Adults are greyish-brown above and white below, with grey-brown sides to the breast. The crown appears high, with a steep forehead. A white bar is visible at the tips of the secondaries, and white outer tail feathers are visible in flight.

Body length: 22 to 24 cm

Upperparts: Greyish-brown

Underparts: White

Legs and feet: Orange

Bill: Long, slender and slightly upturned, black with a dull orange base

  • Look for the long, slender, slightly upturned black bill with a dull orange base.
  • The legs and feet are orange, and the flight is strong and direct with flickering wings.
  • Feeding birds move rapidly and erratically across soft mud, pecking or probing at the surface.

Identification: Similar species

The species may be confused with the Common Sandpiper or Grey-tailed Tattler. The combination of the upturned bill, orange legs, compact body and grey-brown upperparts is useful for field identification.

  • Separate it from the Common Sandpiper by its noticeably upturned bill and orange legs.
  • Separate it from the Grey-tailed Tattler by its smaller, dumpier build, orange legs and upturned bill.

Identification: Behaviour and calls

Terek Sandpipers often roost in groups with other waders at high tide, then spread across open intertidal mudflats to feed. The recorded flight call is described as a rising, repeated 'twit-wit-wit-wit'.

  • Record the location, tide state, flock size and associated roosting species when a bird is detected.
  • Do not approach communal roosts to obtain closer views or photographs.

Distribution: National range

In Australia, the Terek Sandpiper is a rare migrant to coastal areas, with most records from northern and eastern Australia. It extends south along the east coast to New South Wales and is also recorded in southern Australian coastal waters, South Australia and Victoria.

The species is most common on northern Australian coasts and the eastern Australian coast, but it occurs nowhere in Australia in large numbers. It has been recorded in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, as well as northern and southern Australian coastal waters.

Listed Australian states: Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria

Other documented Australian occurrence: South Australia and northern and southern Australian coastal waters

NSW strongholds: Richmond River estuary and Hunter River estuary

  • In New South Wales, records are concentrated around the Richmond River estuary and Hunter River estuary.
  • The Hunter River estuary has been identified as nationally and internationally important for the species.
  • NSW records and predicted habitat include the North Coast, South Eastern Queensland interface, Sydney Basin, coastal ocean areas and the South East Corner.

Distribution: Bioregions and subregions

The NSW profile identifies known or predicted occurrence in the NSW North Coast, South Eastern Queensland, Sydney Basin, South East Corner and oceanic coastal areas. Occurrence mapping is indicative and may be restricted to tidal waterbodies or other specified areas.

  • NSW mapped subregions include Karuah Manning, Macleay Hastings, Yuraygir, Hunter, Illawarra, Jervis, Pittwater, Wyong and Bateman.
  • The NSW profile also identifies the Sunshine Coast-Gold Coast Lowlands, Clarence Lowlands, Burringbar-Conondale Ranges and other South Eastern Queensland areas.
  • For several NSW North Coast and South Eastern Queensland subregions, the mapped restriction is tidal influenced waterbodies within 15 km of the coast.

Distribution: Population and trend

The supplied Australian sources do not provide a national population estimate or trend. The species is described as uncommon in Australia, and the available source identifies no Australian breeding population.

Australian population estimate: Not stated in the supplied sources

Australian population trend: Not stated in the supplied sources

Baltic breeding population: 30 to 70 pairs, not representative of the Australian population

  • Treat records from suitable coastal habitat as potentially important because local abundance is generally low.
  • Confirm the current conservation status and any site-specific population information during project assessment.

Habitat: Habitat types

Australian Terek Sandpipers use tidal and brackish coastal habitats, especially open soft mud near mangroves. They also use sandbanks, lagoons, creeks, rocky pools, reefs and some brackish pools inland.

The main Australian habitats are coastal mudflats, tidal mudbanks, sandbanks, lagoons, creeks and estuaries. Birds may also occur on rocky pools and reefs, and occasionally up to 10 km inland around brackish pools.

Recorded inland distance: Occasionally up to 10 km inland around brackish pools

Key water conditions: Intertidal, shallow or brackish water with soft wet substrate

  • Prioritise assessment of soft, wet intertidal mudflats and sandbanks near mangroves.
  • Include nearby high-tide roosts, mangrove stands, dead trees and other undisturbed shoreline features in site assessments.
  • Assess brackish pools and tidal influenced waterbodies where they occur within or near a project area.

Habitat: Structural features

Feeding habitat is generally open and has soft, wet mud or shallow water. Mangroves are associated with both feeding areas and communal roosts, although mangrove incursion can reduce available shorebird habitat.

  • Map open mudbanks, sandbanks, shallow edges and adjacent mangrove roosts before works begin.
  • Include rocky pools, reefs, lagoons and creek margins where they connect to estuarine habitat.
  • Record changes to tidal flows, water levels, bank form and sediment exposure during design and construction.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The supplied Australian sources do not specify an elevation limit. The Australian range is mainly coastal, and the species is present during the austral spring and summer migration period, generally August to March or April.

  • Do not exclude potential habitat solely because it is outside a mapped stronghold or because it is a short distance inland.
  • Use local habitat and tidal influence, rather than elevation alone, to guide survey planning.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Terek Sandpipers feed on soft, wet intertidal mud and shallow water. They walk quickly and erratically, pecking at the surface or probing for prey.

The diet includes worms, crabs and other crustaceans, small shellfish, flies, beetles and water-bugs. In breeding areas, the species also eats seeds, molluscs and spiders.

Recorded prey: Worms, crabs, other crustaceans, small shellfish, flies, beetles and water-bugs

Additional breeding-ground foods: Seeds, molluscs and spiders

  • Inspect exposed mud and shallow water for feeding birds during suitable tidal conditions.
  • Avoid assuming that only visible prey concentrations are important, as the species takes a range of surface and shallow-substrate prey.

Foraging habitat: Foraging method and area

Birds feed by moving rapidly across open intertidal mudflats, pecking or probing at the surface. They feed at both high and low tides and may break away from roosting flocks to feed alone or in smaller groups.

Foraging substrate: Soft, wet intertidal mud and shallow water

Foraging distance: No species-specific foraging range is stated in the supplied sources

  • Survey exposed mudflats across more than one tidal state where practicable.
  • Maintain access to feeding areas and avoid blocking movement between roosts, mudflats, creeks and shallow water.
  • Record the tide state, substrate, flock size and observed feeding behaviour.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Terek Sandpipers breed mainly in Eurasia, not Australia. Australian project controls should therefore focus on protecting migrant feeding and roosting habitat, while recognising that breeding habitat requirements explain the species' dependence on open wet margins elsewhere in its range.

The species breeds in marshland valleys in northern forests and Arctic tundra, often with other waders. The nest is a shallow structure lined with grass and placed in the open or in short grass.

Breeding season: May to August

Clutch size: Not stated in the supplied sources

Incubation period: Not stated in the supplied sources

Age at maturity: Not stated in the supplied sources

Lifespan: Not stated in the supplied sources

Generation length: 5 years

  • Males display in the air and on the ground, with loud song, fluttering wings and tail raising.
  • The male defends the nest while the female incubates.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Documented breeding sites combine shallow water with somewhat fluctuating water levels, sandy or gravelly shores or riverbanks, and meadows with low vegetation. Some sites contain driftwood, debris or a bark and wood-residue substrate.

  • Where breeding-range information is relevant, retain shallow water, low vegetation, open ground and sandy or gravelly margins.
  • In Australia, do not interpret these breeding features as evidence of local breeding, because the supplied sources describe the Australian population as migratory.

Sheltering habitat: Roosts

The main sheltering habitat used in Australia is communal high-tide roost habitat, especially mangroves and dead trees near feeding areas.

Terek Sandpipers generally roost communally amongst mangroves or dead trees, often with other wader species. Roosts are used when birds are not feeding on open intertidal mudflats.

Documented roost features: Mangroves and dead trees

Roost size: No minimum roost area or buffer distance is stated in the supplied sources

  • Locate and map high-tide roosts before clearing, earthworks, piling, traffic changes or lighting installation.
  • Maintain a quiet buffer around communal roosts and retain movement routes between roosts and feeding areas.
  • Schedule noisy or high-disturbance works outside periods when birds are using the roost, where practicable.

Sheltering habitat: Other refuge features

The supplied Australian sources do not identify nests, hollows, burrows, dens, tracks, scats or species-specific ground-cover dimensions for this migratory wader. Rocky pools, reefs, lagoons and brackish pools may provide temporary refuge or feeding habitat, depending on local conditions.

  • Treat any regularly used high-tide congregation as a potential roost even if it is not in mangroves.
  • Inspect dead trees, mangrove margins, creek banks and other elevated shoreline features for roosting birds before work each day.
  • Use a suitably qualified fauna observer where works may affect a confirmed or potential roost.

Threats: Clearing and development

The main project risks are loss or degradation of intertidal feeding habitat, disturbance of high-tide roosts and changes to estuarine hydrology. Risks can occur well beyond the footprint when works affect tidal flows, sediment movement, access or predator activity.

Property development in or near key habitat, industrial development, port expansion and transport infrastructure can degrade or remove habitat. Hydrological changes may modify or remove suitable habitat in estuaries and similar waterbodies.

  • Avoid clearing mangroves, dead-tree roosts, open mudflats, sandbanks and shallow margins used by shorebirds.
  • Keep construction compounds, access tracks, stockpiles and lighting away from feeding and roosting areas.
  • Maintain natural hydrological regimes and avoid obstructing tidal exchange or changing sediment deposition.
  • Survey potential habitat before finalising the work footprint, because mapped occurrence may be incomplete.

Threats: Disturbance and predators

Recreational activity, construction activity, vessels, vehicles, dogs and drones can disturb feeding and roosting birds. Foxes can disturb and prey on roosting shorebirds, causing direct mortality, stress and loss of condition.

  • Control access by vehicles, dogs, recreational users and workers near roosts and feeding areas.
  • Use temporary exclusion zones and clear signage around occupied roosts.
  • Manage food waste and other attractants that could increase foxes, gulls, crows or other predators near roosts.
  • Do not flush roosting birds repeatedly during surveys or construction.

Threats: Pollution, disease and other pressures

Pollution and contamination can affect feeding habitat and prey. Marine debris and microplastics can cause entanglement, ingestion, loss of condition and mortality. H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza has caused disease and mortality in NSW shorebird populations.

  • Prevent sediment, fuel, concrete washout, litter and other contaminants from entering tidal water or mudflats.
  • Remove marine debris from work areas where this can be done without disturbing birds or damaging habitat.
  • Apply current biosecurity and disease procedures when handling sick or dead shorebirds.
  • Consider erosion, storm damage, sea level rise and mangrove incursion when assessing the long-term suitability of habitat.

Survey methodology: 1. Intertidal feeding surveys

Survey this migratory shorebird in coastal and estuarine habitat, with separate searches for feeding birds on exposed intertidal areas and roosting birds at high tide. The supplied documents do not provide a species-specific survey effort standard, so set effort to cover all suitable habitat and both tidal-use phases within the project area.

Search exposed mudflats, sandbanks, shallow creeks, lagoons, rocky pools and reefs during suitable low-tide conditions.

Walk or scan the full extent of accessible suitable habitat, recording all Terek Sandpipers and the area searched.

Look for a small wader 22 to 24 cm long with a long, slightly upturned bill, short orange legs, grey-brown upperparts and white underparts.

Record feeding behaviour, flock size, location, tide state, habitat type and any disturbance or habitat degradation. Terek Sandpipers feed by moving rapidly over soft wet mud and pecking or probing at the surface.

Primary feeding habitat: Coastal mudflats, lagoons, creeks, estuaries, sandbanks near mangroves, rocky pools and reefs

Inland occurrence: Occasionally around brackish pools up to 10 km inland

Survey methodology: 2. High-tide roost surveys

Inspect mangroves, dead trees and other undisturbed high-tide roost sites while the tide has displaced birds from feeding areas.

Scan roosts from outside the roost area to avoid flushing birds, and record the number of Terek Sandpipers, associated waders, roost location and disturbance sources.

Repeat observations across the tidal cycle where practical, because the species feeds on open intertidal mudflats and roosts communally at high tide.

Typical roost sites: Mangroves or dead trees, often with other wader species

Roosting pattern: Communal at high tide; birds may feed in smaller flocks or singly on open mudflats

Survey methodology: 3. Seasonal and habitat coverage

Prioritise Australian surveys from August to March or April, when the species is generally present after migration from Eurasia.

Treat July as a migration period and record any birds present, particularly where works could affect estuarine or coastal habitat.

Include all tidal-influenced waterbodies within 15 km of the coast where the project occurs in a relevant NSW coastal subregion, consistent with the mapped geographic restrictions in the NSW profile.

Review existing records and survey all potentially suitable habitat, including areas that appear suitable but lack previous records.

Typical Australian presence: August to March or April

Breeding season overseas: May to August

Migration distance reported: Estimated flight range of 3500 to 4800 km

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Define the survey area, available tidal windows, tide state, weather, observer names, equipment, survey duration and area searched before fieldwork.
  • Use suitably experienced shorebird observers and maintain a safe viewing distance from feeding and roosting birds.
  • Do not treat a single negative survey as proof that the species is absent where suitable habitat remains or survey timing did not cover feeding and high-tide roost conditions.
  • Map all records, habitat used, roosts, feeding areas, disturbance sources and photographs or other supporting evidence.
  • Submit verified records to the relevant state wildlife database and report the record to the project environmental authority where required.
  • Retain survey data with the project environmental records and include the survey limitations in the ecological assessment.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise impacts

Avoid works in occupied feeding and roosting habitat wherever practicable. The NSW profile identifies disturbance, habitat degradation, hydrological change, pollution, development and predator impacts as project-relevant risks.

Retain coastal mudflats, sandbanks, lagoons, creeks, estuaries, mangroves, rocky pools, reefs and brackish pools used by the species.

Retain high-tide roosts in mangroves and dead trees, and keep access, lighting, noise and machinery away from roosts.

Maintain tidal flows and natural hydrological regimes in estuaries and similar waterbodies.

Protect feeding and roosting areas from vehicle access, off-road driving, camping, dogs, drones, fishing, boating and other recreational disturbance associated with the project.

Prevent sediment, pollutants, rubbish and marine debris from entering feeding or roosting habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

Check whether the proposed action needs an EPBC Act referral because the Terek Sandpiper is listed as Vulnerable nationally.

Check state threatened-species requirements, wildlife permits and any approval conditions before survey, handling, relocation or habitat removal.

Schedule works to avoid the Australian presence period from August to March or April where practicable, and avoid periods when surveys identify occupied habitat.

Stage works so that retained feeding areas, roosts and movement routes remain available throughout construction.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies survey timing, exclusion areas, stop-work triggers, authorised handlers, incident reporting and rehabilitation actions.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance survey that covers intertidal feeding habitat and high-tide roost habitat before works begin.

Mark mapped feeding areas, roosts, mangrove stands, dead trees, water edges and no-go areas on plans and in the field.

Install exclusion fencing or other visible controls where they can prevent people, vehicles and machinery entering retained habitat without blocking bird movement.

Brief all workers on the species' appearance, habitat, roosting behaviour, exclusion areas and the procedure for an unexpected sighting.

Check for foxes, dogs, marine debris, weeds, pollution and other hazards near retained habitat before construction starts.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and supervision

Keep machinery and people out of marked feeding and roosting habitat. A fauna spotter catcher should coordinate directly with the supervisor and plant operators, but this species is a free-ranging migratory wader and should not be pursued or captured unless a lawful, welfare-based intervention is required.

Inspect exclusion fencing, signage, sediment controls and retained habitat at the start of each shift.

Keep vehicles, plant, lighting, spoil, fuel, concrete washout and stockpiles outside marked feeding and roosting areas.

Use the fauna spotter catcher to check work areas before each new disturbance front and to communicate directly with machinery operators.

Stop or modify work if birds are repeatedly flushed, prevented from reaching a roost or feeding area, trapped between work zones, or exposed to a new pollution or hydrological risk.

Keep dogs, drones and unnecessary personnel away from occupied roosts and feeding areas.

During habitat disturbance: Response to a sighting

If a Terek Sandpiper enters the work area, pause the activity that could injure or repeatedly disturb it and notify the site supervisor and environmental officer.

Do not chase, handle or relocate a healthy bird merely because it is present near a work area.

Allow the bird to leave naturally where there is a clear route to retained habitat, while keeping plant and workers stationary or withdrawing them as directed by the fauna spotter catcher.

Only an appropriately authorised and competent person should capture or handle a bird, and only where necessary to prevent immediate harm or provide treatment.

Keep any injured bird in a quiet, secure container and arrange prompt assessment by a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer under the relevant state requirements.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat and incident controls

Do not remove mangroves, dead trees, mudflats, sandbanks or other mapped roost and feeding features without confirming that the action is approved and that mitigation is in place.

Do not alter drainage, tidal exchange, water levels or sediment movement in estuaries without environmental approval and inspection by the environmental officer.

Secure waste, mesh, netting and other materials that could entangle or be ingested by shorebirds.

Record each sighting, start and finish time, location, tide, behaviour, flock size, work activity, response and outcome.

Record all injuries, captures, mortalities, habitat damage, pollution events, unauthorised access and stop-work events, and notify the relevant authority where approval conditions require it.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Confirm that retained habitat remains usable after each disturbance front and after the project is complete. Continue controls until monitoring shows that birds can feed and roost without project-related disturbance or habitat loss.

Inspect the work area and retained habitat for injured or dead birds, entanglement hazards, sediment deposition, pollution, changed drainage and damaged roost or feeding features.

Complete a final check for unapproved removal of mangroves, dead trees, mudflats, sandbanks or other mapped habitat.

Remove temporary materials, fencing and lighting only when doing so will not expose retained habitat to vehicles, people or dogs.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained feeding and roosting habitat during the species' Australian presence period from August to March or April where the approval or fauna management plan requires monitoring.

Use repeat low-tide feeding surveys and high-tide roost checks, recording the same locations, tide conditions and observation measures used before works.

Compare bird use, flock size, roost condition, habitat condition and disturbance with pre-construction records.

Report survey results, incidents, corrective actions, injured or dead birds, and any changed hydrology or habitat condition to the project environmental officer and relevant approval authority.

Maintain exclusion zones, access controls, sediment controls and pollution controls until the site is stable and the environmental officer signs them off.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and corrective action

Apply any EPBC Act, state or approval-specific offset requirement where residual impacts on listed habitat remain after avoidance and mitigation.

If monitoring identifies reduced use, loss of a roost, changed tidal or water conditions, pollution or repeated disturbance, stop the relevant impact and implement the approved corrective action.

Update the fauna management plan when monitoring shows that the original controls do not protect feeding or roosting habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore feeding and roosting habitat

Rehabilitation should restore the intertidal and high-tide functions used by the Terek Sandpiper. Prioritise mud, shallow water, open sand or gravel edges and secure roosts rather than dense terrestrial planting across feeding areas.

Reinstate natural tidal exchange and shallow, fluctuating water conditions in estuaries, lagoons and creeks affected by works.

Restore soft wet mudflats, sandbanks and low-vegetation margins where they were disturbed, while avoiding designs that permanently convert open feeding areas to dense vegetation.

Retain or replace suitable high-tide roost structure, including mangroves and dead trees, only where the replacement is approved and will not reduce open feeding habitat.

Do not place spoil, rock, mulch or revegetation across intertidal mud or sand used for feeding unless required by an approved design.

Rehabilitation actions: Control threats at restored sites

Remove weeds and prevent weed spread into feeding and roosting areas.

Control access by vehicles, dogs, drones and people where disturbance is affecting roosting or feeding birds.

Manage foxes and other predators in accordance with approved pest management programs where predation is recorded as a project-related risk.

Remove marine debris, loose netting and other entanglement hazards from restored habitat.

Use sediment, erosion and pollution controls until mudflats, banks and water quality are stable.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Monitor restored habitat through low-tide feeding surveys and high-tide roost checks during August to March or April where practicable.

Measure whether the restored area has functional mud, shallow water, sand or gravel margins, suitable roost structure, natural hydrology and safe access for birds.

Record Terek Sandpiper presence, flock size, feeding or roosting behaviour, disturbance, predator activity, weed cover and pollution at each monitoring event.

Treat successful rehabilitation as the restoration of usable feeding and roosting habitat with no project-related injury, entanglement, pollution or repeated disturbance, and continue corrective work if these conditions are not met.

Submit rehabilitation monitoring records and verified species records to the relevant state wildlife database and approval authority.

Sources