- Actitis macularia
Actitis macularius
Identification
18-20cm (7-7¾ in)
- Brown upperparts
- White below, spotted black
- White wing stripe
- Short yellow legs
- Orange bill with a black tip
- Dark eye-line with thin white superciliary
Non-breeding birds do not have the spotted underparts.
Similar Species
Distribution
Breeds North America (Canada and the United States); winters to southern South America
A regular vagrant to Europe. There is thought to have been a breeding attempt in Scotland.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
One subspecies (A. m. ravus) is recognised by some authorities[2]
Habitat
Fresh water, ponds, streams, and other waterways, both inland and along coasts.
Behaviour
Actions
Frequently teeters by bobbing its rear end up and down.
Breeding
They nest on the ground. Females may mate with more than one male, leaving incubation to them.
Diet
The diet includes insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates, from the ground or in the water. They may also catch insects in flight.
Vocalisation
A long string of “weet” notes.
Movements
Migrates on broad fronts across North America, after breeding. They winter from southern United States well into South America.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Grant, P.J., K. Mullarney, L. Svensson, D. Zetterstrom (1999) Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe. Harpercollins Pub Ltd ISBN 0 00 219728 6
- Reed, J. M., L. W. Oring, and E. M. Gray (2020). Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.sposan.01
- Van Gils, J., Wiersma, P. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53913 on 15 March 2020).
- Chandler, R. (2009). Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia: A photographic guide. Princeton.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Spotted Sandpiper. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Spotted_Sandpiper
External Links
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