Species
Solitary sandpiper
Tringa solitaria
A dark, white-spectacled sandpiper that turns up alone at woodland ponds and puddles on migration.
Photo Sean Frey (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 19 to 23 cm long
- Weight
- About 30 to 70 g
- Habitat
- Woodland ponds, stream edges and puddles
- Diet
- Aquatic insects, snails and small crustaceans
- In Georgia
- An uncommon migrant, April to May and July to October
- Voice
- A high "peet-weet-weet"
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Dark, spotted back; bold white eye-ring; greenish legs; dark rump with barred tail sides in flight
- Told apart from
- Lesser yellowlegs, which has bright yellow legs and a white rump
- Told apart from
- Spotted sandpiper, which teeters and has a white shoulder patch
- Where to look
- Small ponds, ditches and puddles, often in woods
Behaviour
Solitary sandpipers usually feed alone at small bodies of water, stirring the water with a foot to flush prey. They nest in trees, using old songbird nests.
Why they matter
This is the only North American sandpiper that regularly nests in trees, using the abandoned nests of robins and other songbirds in the northern forests. It shows how interlinked woodland birds and shorebirds can be.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — An old songbird nest in a tree in the northern forest
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 23 to 24 days
Chicks — Leave the nest by jumping to the ground soon after hatching
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Small woodland ponds and even puddles on dirt roads are used as stopovers.
Misconceptions
- Sandpipers nest on the ground. This one nests in trees.
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 | Migrants passing | Migrants passing | Nesting in northern forests | Adults returning | Migrants | Migrants | Last migrants | In South America | In South America |
Where it lives
Recorded in 90 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
- Floridain winter
- Georgiapassing through
- Idahopassing 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
- Nevadapassing 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
- Texasin winter
- Utahpassing through
- Vermontpassing through
- Virginiapassing through
- Washingtonpassing through
- West Virginiapassing through
- Wisconsinpassing through
- Wyomingpassing through
Canada
Mexico
- Aguascalientespassing through
- Baja Californiapassing through
- Baja California Surin winter
- Campechein winter
- Chiapasin winter
- Chihuahuapassing through
- Coahuilain winter
- Colimain winter
- Durangoin winter
- Guanajuatopassing through
- Guerreroin winter
- Jaliscoin winter
- Mexico Cityin winter
- Michoacanpassing through
- Nayaritin winter
- Nuevo Leonin winter
- Oaxacain winter
- Pueblain winter
- Queretaroin winter
- Quintana Rooin winter
- San Luis Potosiin winter
- Sinaloain winter
- Sonorapassing through
- State of Mexicoin winter
- Tabascoin winter
- Tamaulipasin winter
- Veracruzin winter
- Yucatanin winter
If you found one
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