Solitary Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper, non-breeding adult; Ventura, CA; November

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

The Solitary Sandpiper is commonly seen in migration along the banks of ponds and creeks. While not truly solitary, it does not migrate in large flocks the way other shorebirds do.

Description

Medium-sized shorebird. Legs moderately long. Neck moderately long. Bill medium-sized. Back dark olive with scattered small white spots. Bold white eyering. Tail distinctly barred. Rump and center tail feathers dark. Frequently bobs its head.

• Size: 19-23 cm (7-9 in)
• Weight: 31-65 g (1.09-2.29 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, female slightly larger.

Sound

Call a high pitched whistled "weet, weet."

Conservation Status

Common. No significant population trends.

Other Names

Chevalier solitaire (French)
Chorlito solitario (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Although the Solitary Sandpiper was first described by ornithologist Alexander Wilson in 1813, its nest was not discovered until 1903. Until that time, eggs and young of the Spotted Sandpiper were misidentified as those of the Solitary Sandpiper.

• The Solitary Sandpiper lays its eggs in the tree nests of several different song birds, particularly those of the American Robin, Rusty Blackbird, Eastern Kingbird, Gray Jay, and Cedar Waxwing.

• Of world?s 85 sandpiper species, only the Solitary Sandpiper and the Green Sandpiper of Eurasia routinely lay eggs in tree nests instead of on the ground.

Sources used to construct this page:

Moskoff, W. 1995. Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria). In The Birds of North America, No. 156 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists? Union, Washington.