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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

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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.

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PHOTO GALLERY

**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.

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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