 This species is very similar to the slightly larger spotted sandpiper ("A. macularia") in non-breeding plumage.But its darker legs and feet and the crisper wing pattern (visible in flight) tend to give it away, and of course they are only rarely found in the same location.It is a gregarious bird and is seen in large flocks, and has the distinctive stiff-winged flight, low over the water, of "Actitis" waders.