General

Solitary Sandpiper: Medium-sized sandpiper with pale-spotted, dark brown back and rump, and white underparts with streaks on neck and sides. Head is dark and eye-ring is bold white. Tail is black with conspicuous black-and-white barred edges. Bill, legs, and feet are olive-green. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Solitary Sandpiper: Breeds in wooded northland of Canada and Alaska. Spends winters from the southern states and the West Indies south to central South America. Preferred habitats include swampy margins of brackish pools, freshwater ponds, and woodland streams.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"plik", "peet-weet"

Interesting Facts

 The Solitary Sandpiper is commonly seen in migration along the banks of ponds and creeks. While not truly solitary, it does not migrate in large flocks the way other shorebirds do.

 First described by ornithologist Alexander Wilson in 1813, its nest was not discovered until 1903. Until that time, eggs and young of the Spotted Sandpiper were misidentified as those of the Solitary Sandpiper.

 Its habit of nesting in the abandoned nests of other birds is unique among North American shorebirds, which generally nest on the ground.

 A group of sandpipers has many collective nouns, including a "bind", "contradiction", "fling", "hill", and "time-step" of sandpipers.

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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