White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollisOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Codes: Common Name: WRSA Scientific Name: CALFUS ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176654

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Overview

White-rumped Sandpiper: Small sandpiper, brown and black scaled upperparts, distinct white rump. Neck and upper breast are white with brown streaks. Streaked head has white eyebrows, dark eyestripes. Thin white stripes on dark wings visible in flight. Tail is rounded and black. Dark legs and feet.

Range and Habitat

White-rumped Sandpiper: Breeds in northern Alaska and Canadian Arctic. Long-distance migrant, wintering as far south as the outer islands of Antarctica. During migration, found in mudflats, flooded fields, shallow marshes, beaches, and sandbars.

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"jeeet"

Interesting Facts

The White-rumped Sandpiper was first described in 1819 by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot, a French ornithologist.

Hybrids between this species and the Dunlin are occasionally found in northeastern North America, it is also suspected to hybridize with the Buff-breasted Sandpiper.

It actually has dark rump feathers. The white feathers at the base of the tail are the upper tail coverts, special feathers that cover the base of the stiff tail feathers.

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

Bird Term Glossary

Author

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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.

White-rumped Sandpiper

● Song: "jeeet"

● Foraging & Feeding: White-rumped Sandpiper: Feeds on insects, marine worms, mollusks, crustaceans, leaches, seeds, and other vegetation.

● Breeding & nesting: White-rumped Sandpiper: Three to four brown marked, olive to light green eggs are laid in a ground nest made of lichens, moss, and leaves. Incubation ranges from 21 to 22 days and is carried out by the female. Young fly at 16 to 17 days.

● Similar species: White-rumped Sandpiper: Baird's Sandpiper wings do not extend beyond tail and lacks white rump.

Flight Pattern

Strong direct flight with deep rapid wing beats.

White-rumped Sandpiper Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: White-rumped Sandpiper: Breeds in northern Alaska and Canadian Arctic. Long-distance migrant, wintering as far south as the outer islands of Antarctica. During migration, found in mudflats, flooded fields, shallow marshes, beaches, and sandbars.

^BreedingPolygamous

^PopulationFairly common

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1.2 Ounces

Sandpiper-like Body

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

Tail coverts

The short tail feathers covering the base of the long tail feathers.

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