General

Spotted Sandpiper: Medium-sized sandpiper with olive-brown upperparts and white underparts with bold black spots. Eyestripe is white. Wings have white stripes visible in flight. Tail is barred. Female is similar but has larger belly spots. Winter adult and juvenile is duller and lacks spots.

Range and Habitat

Spotted Sandpiper: Breeds from northern Alaska and Canada across most of the continent to southern U.S. Spends winters along the Pacific coast south from British Columbia and across southern states south to South America. Preferred habitats include ponds, streams, and other waterways, both inland and along coasts.

Breeding and Nesting

Spotted Sandpiper: Three to five brown, green, pink or buff eggs blotched with brown are laid in a ground depression lined with grass or moss. Incubation ranges from 20 to 24 days and is carried out by the male.

Foraging and Feeding

Spotted Sandpiper: Eats insects, fish, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and spiders. Forages on the ground or in shallow water; often dips its food in the water before eating.

Vocalization

Spotted Sandpiper: Call is a clear "peet-weet"; also a soft trill.

Similar Species

Spotted Sandpiper: Solitary Sandpiper is larger and has a bold eye-ring, no wing stripes, white-spotted upperparts, and different flight pattern.