Spotted Sandpiper

Upperparts olive-brown with faint dark barring; underparts pure white with distinct, round, black spots that increase in size towards the belly.

Underparts unspotted white; upperparts plain olive-brown; greyish patches on the sides of the breast, often appearing as an incomplete collar.

Similar to non-breeding plumage but with distinct buff and dark barring on the wing coverts and narrow pale fringes on the upperpart feathers.

Slight; females are on average slightly larger and often more densely and heavily spotted in breeding plumage than males.

Constant, rhythmic teetering of the rear body; characteristic shallow, stiff wingbeats in flight interspersed with short glides; short, straight bill.

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos): Very similar, but lacks spots on the underparts in breeding plumage and typically has darker, greyish legs in winter.

Short, straight, and slender; orange-yellow with a black tip in breeding plumage, duller and darker (brownish) in non-breeding plumage.

A rapid, rising series of clear whistling notes: 'weet-weet-weet-weet'.

A sharp, usually disyllabic 'peet-weet' or a single 'weet'.

Widespread in North America, from the tree line in Alaska and Canada south to the central and southern United States.

Southern USA (California to Florida), Central America, Caribbean, and South America south to northern Argentina and Chile.

Long-distance migrant; usually migrates solitarily and at night; utilizes a variety of stopover habitats along migration routes.

Shorelines of freshwater habitats such as rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds; prefers open areas with adjacent dense vegetation for cover.

Muddy, sandy, or gravelly shores, tide pools, mangroves, sewage ponds, and occasionally wet meadows.

A shallow scrape on the ground, often hidden under the protection of vegetation (grass, shrubs); lined with dry grass, leaves, and moss.

Creamy to buff-beige with irregular dark brown or black blotches and spots.

Pronounced polyandry; the male performs the majority of incubation and tending to the precocial young; females may lay multiple clutches for different males.

Insects (dragonfly larvae, beetles, flies), spiders, small crustaceans, and occasionally small fish or tadpoles.

Broad spectrum of invertebrates, including marine worms, small mollusks, and crustaceans in coastal habitats.

Active picking of prey from the ground surface or shallow water; short sprints to pursue mobile prey.

Visual searching while constantly walking; uses the characteristic teetering motion presumably to stabilize the visual field.

Territorial and often polyandrous during the breeding season; mostly solitary outside the breeding season, does not form large flocks.

Loose aggregations at food-rich sites possible, but no coordinated flock movements.

Habitat loss due to shoreline development and drainage of wetlands; local exposure to pesticides; disturbance from recreational activities at breeding waters.

Stable; the species is widespread and adaptable to moderate anthropogenic changes.

Preservation of natural shoreline structures; protection of wetlands under international agreements (e.g., RAMSAR); population monitoring in North America.