Species
Buff-breasted sandpiper
Calidris subruficollis
A gentle-faced, buff sandpiper of short grass, crossing Georgia's turf farms on its way to the Arctic.
Photo caymanmatt (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 18 to 20 cm long
- Weight
- About 50 to 80 g
- Habitat
- Short-grass fields, turf farms and airports
- Diet
- Insects and spiders
- In Georgia
- An uncommon autumn migrant, August and September
- Voice
- Mostly quiet
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Clean buff face and underparts; scaly back; small round head; short thin bill; yellow legs
- Told apart from
- Upland sandpiper, which is larger with a long neck and tail
- Told apart from
- Pectoral sandpiper, which has a sharply streaked breast
- Where to look
- Turf farms and airport grass in late summer
Behaviour
Buff-breasted sandpipers feed in short grass rather than mud. Males display by raising their wings to show the white underside.
Why they matter
This sandpiper was nearly wiped out by market hunting a century ago and remains scarce. Its dependence on short grass along the whole migration route, from the Arctic to the pampas, makes turf farms and pastures important to it.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A scrape on tundra
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 23 to 25 days, by the female alone
Chicks — Leave the nest within a day
Flight — At about 16 to 20 days
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Pesticides on turf farms reduce the insects they feed on.
Misconceptions
- Shorebirds are always found at the shore. This one feeds in dry grass.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | In South America | In South America | In South America | Migrating north through the plains | Arriving in the Arctic | Nesting | Nesting | Migrants passing Georgia | Migrants passing | In South America | In South America | In South America |
Where it lives
Recorded in 61 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamapassing through
- Alaskabreeding
- Arizonapassing through
- Arkansaspassing through
- Californiapassing through
- Coloradopassing through
- Connecticutpassing through
- Delawarepassing through
- District of Columbiapassing through
- Floridapassing through
- Georgiapassing through
- Illinoispassing through
- Indianapassing through
- Iowapassing through
- Kansaspassing through
- Kentuckypassing through
- Louisianapassing through
- Mainepassing through
- Marylandpassing through
- Massachusettspassing through
- Michiganpassing through
- Minnesotapassing through
- Mississippipassing through
- Missouripassing through
- Montanapassing through
- Nebraskapassing through
- New Hampshirepassing through
- New Jerseypassing through
- New Mexicopassing through
- New Yorkpassing through
- North Carolinapassing through
- North Dakotapassing through
- Ohiopassing through
- Oklahomapassing through
- Oregonpassing through
- Pennsylvaniapassing through
- Rhode Islandpassing through
- South Carolinapassing through
- South Dakotapassing through
- Tennesseepassing through
- Texaspassing through
- Vermontpassing through
- Virginiapassing through
- Washingtonpassing through
- West Virginiapassing through
- Wisconsinpassing through
Canada
- Albertapassing through
- British Columbiapassing through
- Manitobapassing through
- New Brunswickpassing through
- Newfoundland and Labradorpassing through
- Northwest Territoriesbreeding
- Nova Scotiapassing through
- Nunavutbreeding
- Ontariopassing through
- Prince Edward Islandpassing through
- Quebecpassing through
- Saskatchewanpassing through
- Yukonbreeding
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