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Bird name:

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularia

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Code 4

SPSA

Code 6

ACTMAC

ITIS

176612

Breeding Location:

Seashore, rocky or sandy, Grassland with scattered trees, Grasslands, Streams, upland

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester, Polyandrous

Breeding Population:

Widespread

Egg Color:

Brown, green, pink or buff blotched with brown

Number of Eggs:

3 - 5

Incubation Days:

20 - 24

Egg Incubator:

Male

Nest Material:

Lined with moss, grass, feathers, and weeds.

Migration:

Migratory

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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.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America