Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Order CHARADRIIFORMES - Family SCOLOPACIDAE - Subfamily Scolopacinae

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

The most widespread breeding sandpiper in North America, the Spotted Sandpiper breeds along the edges of nearly any water source throughout the northern half of the continent. It is at home around urban ponds as well as tundra pools.

Cool Facts

• The female Spotted Sandpiper is the one who establishes and defends the territory. She arrives at the breeding grounds earlier than the male. In other species of migratory birds, where the male establishes the territory, he arrives earlier.

• The male takes the primary role in parental care, incubating the eggs and taking care of the young. One female may lay eggs for up to four different males at a time.

• The female may store sperm for up to one month. The eggs she lays for one male may be fathered by a different male in a previous mating.

• The function of the teetering motion typical of this species has not been determined. Chicks teeter nearly as soon as they hatch from the egg. The teetering gets faster when the bird is nervous, but stops when the bird is alarmed, aggressive, or courting.

Description

• Size: 18-20 cm (7-8 in)
• Wingspan: 37-40 cm (15-16 in)
• Weight: 34-50 g (1.2-1.77 ounces)

• Medium-sized shorebird.
• Legs moderately long.
• Neck moderately long.
• Bill medium-sized.
• Back brown.
• Underparts white with distinct round spots.
• Constantly bobs its tail and rear end up and down as it walks.

• Flies with bursts of shallow, fluttering wing beats.
• White stripe along wings visible in flight.
• Rump and tail dark.
• Tail white on outside only.
• Thin white eyestripe, indistinct white eyering.

Breeding adult (Alternate Plumage): Brown above with indistinct black bars scattered across back. White below with bold black spotting. Legs flesh-colored.
Non breeding adult (Basic Plumage): Upperparts grayer and without barring. Underparts white, with brown extending down sides of breast. Legs yellowish.

Sex Differences

Sexes alike in plumage, but females are larger and have larger spots that extend farther down the lower belly.

Immature

Juvenile resembles winter adult, but has scalloping of dark edges to back feathers, especially on the wings.

Similar Species

• Solitary Sandpiper occasionally bobs its tail, but is slightly larger, lacks the white eyestripe, has a more prominent white eyering, has white spotting on the back, and has no wingstripe in flight.
• Wandering Tattler teeters too, but is much larger and is plain gray overall or with heavy barring on underparts, and no white in wings.

Sound

Call a high pitched whistled "weet," uttered singly or in pairs.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Breeds across North America from Alaska to Newfoundland, southward to central California, southern Nebraska, and northern North Carolina.

Winter Range

Winters from southern states to southern South America. Also along Pacific Coast northward to Puget Sound.

Habitat

• Breeds in a variety of habitats, such as shoreline, sagebrush, grassland, forest, lawn, or park.
• Territories must include some shoreline of a stream, lake, or pond.
• Winters wherever water is present.

Food

Aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates.

Behavior

Foraging

Walks and wades, thrusts head forward and grabs prey.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Made of dead grass and some woody stems. Builds under shading vegetation on ground near water.

Egg Description

Off-white with spots and blotches

Clutch Size

Usually 4 eggs. Range: 3-5.

Condition at Hatching

Downy and able to leave nest. Teetering starts at 30 minutes old.

Conservation Status

Common and widespread.

Other Names

Chevalier grivelé (French)
Playero coleador (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Oring, L. W., E. M. Gray, and J. M. Reed. 1997. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia). In The Birds of North America, No. 289 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornthologists' Union, Washington, D.C.