Birds & Birding in Costa Rica: – Costa Rica’s national motto and tourism slogan, “La Pura Vida” loosely translates to Live Life or Enjoy Life. With over 900 bird species recorded in Costa Rica, there is certainly lots to enjoy! With 12 of the world’s 18 life zones, its diverse landscapes, including tropical rainforests, cloud forests, mangroves, and savannas, provide habitat for a wide range of iconic birds A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
ABOUT THIS SPECIES
SPOTTED SANDPIPER – (Species Account Blog #62)
TAXONOMIC TREE:
- ORDER: Charadriiformes,
- FAMILY: Scolopacidae,
- BINOMIAL NAME: Actitis macularius
The most widespread-breeding sandpiper in North America, the Spotted Sandpiper is found east-west across the continent and north-south from the southern edge of the Arctic to the southern states. Constantly bobs its tail while working edges of streams, ponds, and lakes for invertebrates. Several individuals may be found at the same body of water, but never forms tight flocks. Underparts are plain in winter. Listen for two- or three-noted whistled call as they flush from shorelines. Distinctive wingbeats: snappy and below horizontal.(from Birds of the World)
SIMILAR SPECIES
Superficially similar to slightly larger Solitary Sandpiper, but Solitary lacks pale supercilium, has complete prominent eye-ring, and shows light to heavy dotting on back, coverts, and tertials; Spotted Sandpiper has incomplete eye-ring, pale supercilium, and plain upperparts or barred wing coverts.
DISTRIBUTION
PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES
In Costa Rica we observed the Spotted Sandpiper in several Pacific lowland areas near Punta Leona and near Sarapiqui on the Caribbean lowlands.
PHOTO GALLERY
**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.
RECENT BLOG POSTS
View the five most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.
- A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
- PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
Reflections of the Natural World 