General

Western Sandpiper: Small sandpiper with chestnut-brown, scaled upperparts and white underparts dotted with rows of dark chevrons. Head is streaked with brown wash on face. Bill is dark and slightly curved down at tip. Thin white stripes are visible on dark wings in flight. Legs and feet are black with partial webbing between toes. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has scaled, pale gray upperparts and white underparts.

Range and Habitat

Western Sandpiper: Breeds in northern and western Alaska. Spends winters mainly along the coast from California and Virginia southward to South America. Preferred habitats include shores, mudflats, grassy pools, and wet meadows.

Breeding and Nesting

Western Sandpiper: Three to five red brown-spotted, buff eggs are laid in a grass-lined depression on either wet or dry tundra. Incubation ranges from 18 to 21 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Western Sandpiper: Diet consists of small crustaceans, minnows, earthworms, and aquatic insects. Probes mudflats and shallows for prey.

Vocalization

Western Sandpiper: Call is a soft "cheep" or "kreep."

Similar Species

Western Sandpiper: Sanderling is larger with bolder wing stripes. White-rumped and Baird's sandpipers are larger and appear especially longer-winged. Least Sandpiper is browner, has yellow legs (unless stained by mud), and slightly decurved bill. Semipalmated Sandpiper (in winter and juvenile plumages) has rufous in upperparts and wings.