Animal Profiles
Birds

Sandpiper

Scolopacidae

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

Sandpipers are diverse shorebirds. This account describes the spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularius), a small American species that searches shorelines for insects and other small prey.

Actitis macularius (sandpiper)

Representative species: Actitis macularius.

No machine-readable author provided. Factumquintus assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA

At a glance

Habitat
Rivers and lakes, Coast, Wetlands
Diet
Carnivore
Food
Insects and other small animals.

Classification

Common name
Sandpiper
Browse group
Birds
Scientific name or taxon
Scolopacidae
Taxon rank
family
Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Scolopacidae
Source classification
Aves

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • Belly spots are most obvious in breeding plumage.
  • Many migrate in small groups or alone.
  • Males undertake much of the incubation.

Habitat and range

Spotted sandpipers breed across much of North America and winter farther south, including Central and South America. Stream banks, lake margins, marshes and coasts provide feeding habitat.

Appearance and adaptations

Brownish upperparts contrast with a white underside. Breeding adults have dark belly spots, while nonbreeding birds lack the prominent spotting that gives the species its name.

Diet and behaviour

Birds pick small animals from the ground, vegetation and water edges, sometimes pursuing flying insects. Many migrate singly or in small groups. Females can defend breeding territories, while males undertake much of the egg incubation.

Sources

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