Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitariaOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Codes: Common Name: SOSA Scientific Name: TRISOL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176615

Breeding Location:

Ponds, Streams, woodland

Breeding Type:

Monogamous

Breeding Population:

Fairly common on breeding grounds

Egg Color:

Olive marked with brown

Number of Eggs:

4 - 5

Incubation Days:

23 - 24

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Abandoned nests., Lined with fine material.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Solitary Sandpiper: Medium-sized sandpiper with pale-spotted, dark brown back and rump, and white underparts with streaks on neck and sides. Head is dark and eye-ring is bold white. Tail is black with conspicuous black-and-white barred edges. Bill, legs, and feet are olive-green. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Solitary Sandpiper: Breeds in wooded northland of Canada and Alaska. Spends winters from the southern states and the West Indies south to central South America. Preferred habitats include swampy margins of brackish pools, freshwater ponds, and woodland streams.

Breeding and Nesting

Solitary Sandpiper: Four to five olive eggs marked with brown are laid in an abandoned Rusty Blackbird, Bohemian Waxwing, Gray Jay, or American Robin nest; occasionally builds own cup-shaped nest. Incubation ranges from 23 to 24 days and is carried out by the female. Young fly at 17 to 20 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Solitary Sandpiper: Feeds mostly on terrestrial and aquatic insects, spiders, frogs, worms, and crustaceans. Forages in shallow water with its pliable, sensitive-tipped bill; wades to breast level and actively picks and jabs at prey.

Vocalization

Solitary Sandpiper: Gives a very hard "plik" when alarmed on the ground; utters a rising "peet-weet" in flight. Display song is a series of short phrases similar to flight call.

Similar Species

Solitary Sandpiper: Lesser Yellowlegs has longer, yellow legs and white rump. Stilt Sandpiper has white rump.

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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.

Solitary Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper: Medium sandpiper, pale-spotted, dark brown back and rump, white underparts with streaks on neck and sides. Head is dark, eye-ring is bold white. Tail is black with conspicuous black-and-white barred edges. Bill, legs, and feet are olive-green. Direct flight is light and bouyant.

● Song: "plik", "peet-weet"

● Foraging & Feeding: Solitary Sandpiper: Feeds mostly on terrestrial and aquatic insects, spiders, frogs, worms, and crustaceans. Forages in shallow water with its pliable, sensitive-tipped bill; wades to breast level and actively picks and jabs at prey.

● Breeding & nesting: Solitary Sandpiper: Four to five olive eggs marked with brown are laid in an abandoned Rusty Blackbird, Bohemian Waxwing, Gray Jay, or American Robin nest; occasionally builds own cup-shaped nest. Incubation ranges from 23 to 24 days and is carried out by the female. Young fly at 17 to 20 days.

● Similar species: Solitary Sandpiper: Lesser Yellowlegs has longer, yellow legs and white rump. Stilt Sandpiper has white rump.

Flight Pattern

Light buoyant swallowlike direct flight, Often zigzags on takeoff.

● Range & Habitat: Solitary Sandpiper: Breeds in wooded northland of Canada and Alaska. Spends winters from the southern states and the West Indies south to central South America. Preferred habitats include swampy margins of brackish pools, freshwater ponds, and woodland streams.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationFairly common on breeding grounds

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1.7 Ounces

Underparts

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

Rump

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

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

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