Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Unlike most birds, Spotted Sandpipers exhibit polyandry; females often defend territories and mate with multiple males, who then perform the bulk of the parental care.
- Scientific name
- Actitis macularius
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Scolopacidae › Actitis
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Freshwater and saltwater shorelines, including riverbanks, lake edges, and estuaries.
- Diet
- Invertebrates such as flies, beetles, dragonflies, crustaceans, and small mollusks.
- Range
- North America, Central America, South America
- Size
- 18-20 cm length, 37-40 cm wingspan
- Lifespan
- 8-12 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to shoreline development, pesticide runoff, and predation by domestic cats.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and skittish. Maintain a distance of at least 20 feet to avoid disrupting their foraging or nesting. If you find an injured bird, contact a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator; do not attempt to keep it as a pet.
The spotted sandpiper ( Actitis macularius ) is a small shorebird, 18–20 cm (7.1–7.9 in) long. The genus name Actitis is from Ancient Greek aktites , "coast-dweller", derived from akte , "coast", and macularius is Latin from macula , "spot".
Photo: Blake Ross, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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