Fall Migration Series - Spotted Sandpiper - August 23, 2013

Featuring: The Spotted Sandpiper
One of the most notable & memorable shorebirds in North America

Breeding Grounds
The breeding grounds of the Spotted Sandpiper cover a large portion of North America, including most of Canada and the US with the exception of a few of the very southern states.

Migration Range
Depending on the breeding location this shorebird can be observed almost everywhere in North America during migration, except for the southern tips of California and the coastline of the Gulf Coast.

Wintering Grounds
Wintering grounds include most of South America, all of Central America and the southernmost portions of the Gulf Coast states.

Size & Shape
The Spotted Sandpiper is a medium sized shorebird with a relatively short, straight bill, rounded belly and longish tail.  It measures 7.1 to 7.9 inches in length, has a wingspan of 14.6 to 15.7 inches and weighs approximately 1.2 to 1.8 ounces. Typically, the females are larger than the males.

Coloring
During the breeding season the sandpiper displays dark, bold spots against a bright white breast, a dark brown back and orange bill. In flight, it displays a white stripe along its wing.  Non-breeding coloration consits of a plain white belly (no spots) with a grayish brown back and pale yellow bill.

Habitat
The Spotted Sandpiper is the most widespread sandpiper in North America likely due to the many different habitats it can be found in.  Look for this sandpiper anywhere near water - along freshwater streambanks, rivers, ponds, lakes, beaches and particularly on rocky shores. Spotted sandpipers are also found near bodies of water in arid parts of the continent and up into the mountains as far as 14,000 feet above sea level.

Food
Invertebrates make up the majority of this shorebird’s diet; they prefer midges, mayflies, flies (especially their aquatic larvae), grasshoppers, beetles, worms, snails and small crustaceans.  Occasionally they may eat small fish.  Like most sandpiper species they constantly forage for food, probing the sand or mud with their bills, lunging at moving prey and picking insects from plants.

Behavior
Spotted Sandpipers constantly teeter or bob.  The function is unknown but chicks teeter shortly after hatching and continue it for the remainder of their lives.

This species was one of the first species documented in which the roles of the males and females are reversed. Females arrive to the breeding grounds first and establish a territory, she performs courtship displays, defends the nest and is sometimes practices polyandry - having a few different broods with different males.  The male, who is usually smaller, arrives to the territory later, incubates the eggs and raises the young.

Sound
This shorebird uses a distinct weet sound for most forms of communication.  For the courtship song, the sandpiper rapidly strings together about 10 weet calls.

Nests
A pair may begin several nests during courtship, most of which go unfinished.  Once the pair has bonded they construct one nest together.  The nest is typically a two to three inch depression in the soil, lined with dead grass, bark or sticks and is often located 100 yards from a shoreline underneath a shade or broad-leafed plant.

Conservation Status
Least Concern. Spotted Sandpipers are the most widespread breeding sandpiper in North America and their population is stable.

Interesting Facts

• According to Cornell Lab, “Despite the gender roles, male Spotted Sandpipers have 10 times the testosterone that females have. However, that’s only in absolute terms. During the breeding season, females see a sevenfold increase in their testosterone levels, perhaps accounting for their aggression and the overall role reversal between male and female.”
• Male Spotted Sandpipers tend to have more of the hormone Prolactin, which promotes parental care urges.
• The birds habit of teetering has earned it some interesting nicknames: teeter-peep, teeter-bob, jerk or perk bird, teeter-snipe and tip-tail.
• Female Spotted Sandpipers can lay up to five clutches per breeding season.

Your Bird Crew,