General

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper: Medium-sized sandpiper with dark brown upperparts and white underparts with faint olive-brown streaks on breast and sides. Head has a dark brown crown and white eyestripe. Wings are dark brown. Tail is dark brown and pointed in flight. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper: Eurasian species; casual spring and common fall migrant in western Alaska; rare fall migrant along entire Pacific coast. Preferred habitats include tidal sandbars, mudflats, estuaries, swamps, inland lakes, and shorelines.

Breeding and Nesting

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper: Four brown-olive or green eggs speckled with brown are laid in a ground nest made of grass and leaves. Male is polygamous, mating with one or more females each season. Incubation ranges from 19 to 23 days and is carried out by the female. Young fly at 18 to 21 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper: Eats worms, snails, crustaceans, insects, and occasionally aquatic vegetation; forages in small groups or large flocks, sometimes with other species.

Vocalization

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper: Makes sharp, metallic, piping calls and a shrill ringing in flight.

Similar Species

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper: Pectoral Sandpiper has a more mottled plumage and white eyebrow.