Species

Spotted sandpiper

Actitis macularius

A teetering sandpiper of stream banks and pond edges, where the female does the courting and the male raises the young.

Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Parenting

At a glance

Size: About 18 to 20 cm long
Weight: About 35 to 50 g
Habitat: Streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and coastlines
Diet: Insects, small crustaceans and worms
In Georgia: A common migrant; a few winter
Voice: A high "peet-weet"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Constantly bobs its tail end up and down; in spring, bold black spots below; in winter plain with a white patch at the shoulder
In flight: Stiff, shallow, flickering wingbeats low over the water
Told apart from: Solitary sandpiper, which has a white eye-ring and does not teeter as much
Where to look: Almost any shoreline, including small streams and ponds

Behaviour

Spotted sandpipers bob their rear ends almost constantly as they walk. In this species the female arrives first on the breeding grounds, defends territory and may mate with several males, each of which incubates a clutch and raises the chicks.

Why they matter

The spotted sandpiper is the most widespread sandpiper in North America, nesting near fresh water across most of the continent. Its role reversal, with females competing for males, is one of the clearest examples in birds.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A shallow scrape near water
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 20 to 24 days, mostly by the male
Chicks — Leave the nest within hours and feed themselves
Flight — At about 16 to 18 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Spotted sandpipers use rivers, lakes and even small ponds in towns; undisturbed banks help them.

Misconceptions

Teetering means the bird is nervous or injured. It is normal behaviour for this species.

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.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	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	A few wintering	A few wintering	Migrants passing	Migrants passing	Migrants passing	Nesting farther north	Adults returning	Migrants	Migrants	Last migrants	A few wintering	A few wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 95 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

United States

Canada

If you found one

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