SIPO vs Pied Oystercatcher

["Greg" <>]

Hi David,

I was fortunate to be at Ballina when Bo Totterman found the first 
Australian SIPO and along with Bob Moffatt and Bo worked out what it was.  I 
also managed some reasonable slides taken through my spotting scope.
The best ID characters are an extremely long thin bill and very short legs 
when compared to a Pied Oystercatcher.  As Australian POs can have legs 
shorter and bills longer than the average they can appear to be SIPOs.  The 
best character is that the white above and below the wing reaches the 
trailing edge as a white panel in the SIPO.  It doesn't usually reach the 
trailing edge in POs however in juveniles the trailing edge is grey and not 
black as in adults (as illustrated in HANZAB).

Greg Clancy