Species
Western sandpiper
Calidris mauri
A small sandpiper with a slightly drooping bill, abundant on Georgia's mudflats in winter.
Photo Jonathan Eisen (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 14 to 17 cm long
- Weight
- About 20 to 35 g
- Habitat
- Mudflats, beaches and impoundments
- Diet
- Tiny invertebrates and biofilm
- In Georgia
- A common migrant and winter visitor on the coast
- Voice
- A thin "jeet"
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Grey in winter; black legs; bill slightly longer and drooping at the tip; rusty patches on the back in spring
- Told apart from
- Semipalmated sandpiper, which has a shorter, straight bill and is absent in winter
- Told apart from
- Dunlin, which is larger with a longer bill
- Where to look
- Mudflats at low tide in winter
Behaviour
Western sandpipers feed in tight flocks, probing mud and licking biofilm from the surface.
Why they matter
Although it breeds in Alaska, the western sandpiper is one of the most common small shorebirds wintering on the Southeast coast, showing how birds from the far west use Georgia's shores.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A scrape on tundra
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 21 days
Chicks — Leave the nest within a day
Flight — At about 17 to 21 days
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Mudflats kept free of disturbance at low tide let flocks feed efficiently.
Misconceptions
- A bird that breeds in Alaska would not winter in Georgia. Western sandpipers do, every year.
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 | Wintering | Wintering | Wintering | Migrating north | Nesting in Alaska | Nesting | Adults leaving | Migrants arriving | Migrants | Wintering birds settle | Wintering | Wintering |
Where it lives
Recorded in 57 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alabamain winter
- Alaskabreeding
- Arizonapassing through
- Arkansaspassing through
- Californiain winter
- Coloradopassing through
- Delawarepassing through
- Floridain winter
- Georgiain winter
- Idahopassing through
- Kansaspassing through
- Louisianain winter
- Marylandpassing through
- Mississippiin winter
- Montanapassing through
- Nevadapassing through
- New Jerseyin winter
- New Mexicopassing through
- North Carolinain winter
- Oklahomapassing through
- Oregonpassing through
- Rhode Islandpassing through
- South Carolinain winter
- Tennesseepassing through
- Texasin winter
- Utahpassing through
- Virginiain winter
- Washingtonpassing through
- Wyomingpassing through
Mexico
- Baja Californiain winter
- Baja California Surin winter
- Campechein winter
- Chiapasin winter
- Chihuahuain winter
- Coahuilain winter
- Colimain winter
- Durangoin winter
- Guanajuatoin winter
- Guerreroin winter
- Jaliscoin winter
- Mexico Cityin winter
- Michoacanin winter
- Nayaritin winter
- Nuevo Leonin winter
- Oaxacain winter
- Pueblapassing through
- Queretaroin winter
- Quintana Rooin winter
- Sinaloain winter
- Sonorain winter
- State of Mexicoin winter
- Tabascoin winter
- Tamaulipasin winter
- Veracruzin winter
- Yucatanin winter
If you found one
Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.
I found an animal