Pale birds are medium brown above and white below, with light barring or spotting on the breast and whitish streaking on the head.

The iris is brown, the beak is blackish and the legs and feet are dirty yellow to dark olive grey; the toes are not webbed.

The call is a soft, high whistle or piping, transcribed as meh by the Whitney South Seas Expedition.

Nests are placed on the lagoon shore and consist of nothing more than a slight hollow in the shoreline coral and shell debris which is lined with grass stems or similar vegetable matter.

The Tuamotu sandpiper is threatened by introduced rats and habitat destruction caused by the spreading cultivation of coconuts, and is listed as endangered.

Although it had a much wider range historically (see also below), it now survives on a small number of rat-free islands, namely Anuanuraro, Tenararo, Morane and one other atoll.

[3] Its IUCN Red List status of "Endangered B2ab (iii, v)" means that estimates indicate between 700 and 1100 mature birds occurring in less than six locations, with a declining trend.