Rock Sandpiper

Calidris ptilocnemisOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Codes: Common Name: ROSA Scientific Name: CALPTI ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176647

Breeding Location:

Tundra

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Fairly common

Egg Color:

Olive to buff marked with brown

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Lined with grasses or leaves.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Rock Sandpiper: Medium-sized sandpiper with scaled gray-brown and reddish-brown upperparts, dark crown, and heavily streaked white underparts with dark breast patch. Bill is slightly decurved and dark with a green base. Wings have large white stripes visible in flight. Tail has dark central stripe above and is white below. Sexes are similar. Winter adult is duller, grayer, and lacks dark cap and breast patch.

Range and Habitat

Rock Sandpiper: Breeds along coast of western Alaska, winters on coast south to Northern and Central California. Nests on tundra; winters on rocky shores, often with Black Turnstones and Surfbirds.

Breeding and Nesting

Rock Sandpiper: Four buff to olive eggs marked with brown are laid in a small ground hollow lined with leaves and grass. Male makes nest scrape; female adds the lining. Eggs are incubated for 20 days by both parents. Young fly at 21 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Rock Sandpiper: Feeds mainly on crustaceans, insects, and small mollusks. Probes mud or pecks for food on rocks at water's edge.

Vocalization

Rock Sandpiper: Makes a series of "tu-tu-tu-tu-tu" whistles. When breeding, utters a loud rippling "chirrup" or "prierrr."

Similar Species

Rock Sandpiper: Dunlin has solid belly patch and longer bill. Surfbird has much shorter bill.

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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.

Rock Sandpiper

Rock Sandpiper: Medium sandpiper, scaled gray-brown and reddish-brown upperparts, dark crown, heavily streaked white underparts with dark breast patch. Dark bill is slightly decurved. Wings have large white stripes visible in flight. Tail has dark central stripe above and is white below. Black legs.

● Song: "tu-tu-tu-tu-tu"

● Foraging & Feeding: Rock Sandpiper: Feeds mainly on crustaceans, insects, and small mollusks. Probes mud or pecks for food on rocks at water's edge.

● Breeding & nesting: Rock Sandpiper: Four buff to olive eggs marked with brown are laid in a small ground hollow lined with leaves and grass. Male makes nest scrape; female adds the lining. Eggs are incubated for 20 days by both parents. Young fly at 21 days.

● Similar species: Rock Sandpiper: Dunlin has solid belly patch and longer bill. Surfbird has much shorter bill.

Flight Pattern

Swift flight with shallow clipped wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Rock Sandpiper: Breeds along coast of western Alaska, winters on coast south to Northern and Central California. Nests on tundra; winters on rocky shores, often with Black Turnstones and Surfbirds.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^PopulationFairly common

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight2.7 Ounces

Underparts

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

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

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

Rock Sandpiper

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Rock Sandpiper

Flight Pattern