Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis maculariaOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Codes: Common Name: SPSA Scientific Name: ACTMAC ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176612

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Overview

Spotted Sandpiper: Medium sandpiper, olive-brown upperparts, white underparts with bold black spots. Eyestripe is white. Wings have white stripes visible in flight. Tail is barred. Dull yellow legs. Low direct flight, wings flap in shallow arcs, producing clipped, stiff wing beats on drooping wings.

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.

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"peet-weet"

Interesting Facts

The Spotted Sandpiper is the most widespread breeding sandpiper in North America.

As they forage, they can be recognized by their constant nodding and teetering. It is sometimes called the "teeter-tail".

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

A group of sandpipers has many collective nouns, including a "bind", "contradiction", "fling", "hill", and "time-step" of sandpipers.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Imran Kahn

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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.

Spotted Sandpiper

● Song: "peet-weet"

● Foraging & 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.

● Breeding & 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.

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

Flight Pattern

Direct flight low over water.

● Range & 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.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester, Polyandrous

^PopulationWidespread

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1.4 Ounces

Sandpiper-like Body

Underparts

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

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

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